It’s Australian For Wine, Mate
During a recent tour of the U.S., Jacob’s Creek wine representatives highlighted the company’s Riesling collection to enthusiasts and connoisseurs, emphasizing the unique environment in Australia that helps the company produce its stellar selections.
The Aussie producer of various wine styles—chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, merlot, and many more—sent its Chief Winemaker, Phillip Laffer, across the globe to educate people on Jacob’s Creek and its varied flavors. The company hosted a tasting in late September in New York City (at The Australian Bar & Lounge, of course) for industry insiders. Laffer himself walked the guests through several of Jacob’s Creek’s Rieslings, as well as some shiraz and cabernet sauvignon selections.
“Understanding the importance of style is critical when you have such a large range of brands,” said Laffer. “Each style must have its own image and reason to exist. But style is not a static thing. It has to develop as consumers’ likes and dislikes change, which means you have to be able to read the market.”
Pioneering the market, Laffer has led Jacob’s Creek to become Australia’s leading wine label worldwide and the financial backbone of the Orlando Wyndham Group. Overseeing a team of more than 20 winemakers, a small army of viticulturists, grape growers, technical experts, production people and marketers, Laffer orchestrated the steady improvement of the traditional Jacob’s Creek range and introduced the up-market, more stylized wines in the Reserve and Limited Release range in 2000.
The fruit for Jacob’s Creek wines is sourced from different regions within South Eastern Australia, enabling the winemakers to overcome seasonal variations in any particular region, improve the quality of the wine, and select fruit that will best suit the wine style.
Laffer began his wine career with Lindemans Winery. “Almost every day there was a formal tasting of up to 20 wines,” he said, “and it was a great grounding in the wine industry. Today, despite huge commitments in a company that spans South Australia, Victoria, and New South Whales, Laffer remains a hands-on winemaker. He makes it a priority to personally oversee vintage from February to May, attend the Rowland Flat in the Barossa Valley for the critical vintage classification, and personally meet with distributors and marketers (and even lowly Bar Business Magazine editors, as he did in New York City in September).
Click here for more information on Jacob’s Creek and all of its wine offerings.
