Vinexpo Daily - Review Edition

Peter Gago
Penfolds Chief Winemaker
I TRAVEL THE WORLD QUITE A LOT,
BUT HERE, WE COME TO ONE PLACE
AND THE WORLD COMES TO US, AND
THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF VINEXPO IN
BORDEAUX.
The World Gets the Taste
of Australian Wines
Penfolds Chief Winemaker – Peter Gago – imparts his knowledge
and wisdom at Vinexpo 2017
The custodian – amongst other
things – of the legendary Penfolds
Grange – chief winemaker for the
Australian producer, Peter Gago
was present at Vinexpo Bordeaux
where he held a series of Master
Classes. We asked him to tell us
about the tastings…
The great thing about Vinexpo is that we
are able to show people from across the
planet what we do – not just with the
current releases, but with tastings across
the decades. The tastings here have
been on Saint Henri – a wonderful Syrah
or Shiraz blend – and Bin 389, and
we’ve gone back across five decades.
Because there is an understanding that
Australian wine can be good value
for money and lots of fruit and flavour,
but it’s only when you look at the older
wines that the seriousness of the offer
becomes quite prevalent. Having said
that though, we have been very big
proponents of Vinexpo going way back.
I’ve lost count of how many Vinexpos
I’ve had. For us, this is THE showcase
for fine wine. The people we’ve been
meeting with from every part of the world
here, it’s just been amazing. We put on
a dinner in a beautiful property in the
middle of Bordeaux for our Chinese and
other Asian guests. So, it’s an Australian
winery, in Bordeaux, entertaining Asian
clientele. When we were at the Cité
du Vin the other day in Bordeaux, we
saw Penfolds Grange and Penfolds Bin
28. That would not have happened 20
years ago. You have a world epicentre
of fine wine here in Bordeaux that’s very
positively, generously engaging wines
from across the planet; and that’s such a
professional and mature approach. We
also met with Jacques Olivier Pesme from
Kedge Business School of Bordeaux,
as there is a lovely liaison between the
University of Adelaide and the University
of Bordeaux. And in fact, I am now
officially the global ambassador for the
Great Wine Capitals of which Bordeaux
is one; Adelaide in South Australia is
the second out of only ten across the
planet, including Napa, San Francisco
and Oporto. We have been meeting at
Vinexpo to discuss links in education, in
tourism, and obviously also in business.
So, it’s not just about pouring wine. This is
a great, great venue for talking about the
world of commerce, the world of wine
education, and so many other things. I
travel the world quite a lot, but here, we
come to one place and the world comes
to us, and that’s the beauty of Vinexpo in
Bordeaux.
What is the feedback like from the
people who have been tasting your
wines?
The first reaction was more or less of
shock (laughs)… Humble Bin 389, which
is not at the top of our tiers of portfolios,
but is more mid-range. “Wow! How
fresh is that 1989? Doesn’t that ’78 look
good!” … Like surprise and shock. But
also putting things back into perspective.
Bin 389 has been released for 57
vintages uninterrupted. St Henri goes
back to the late 1800’s. From a Penfold’s
perspective, we resurrected it in the early
1950’s. People talk about Old World
and New World, but when they leave
this tasting, they no longer use the term
New World, they use the term Newer
World!
WORLD’S MOST
EXPENSIVE
WINE
How is the global perception of
Australian wine evolving?
There’s a big change in attitude. When
I used to do tastings in Paris 15 or 20
years ago, we would invite 20 media.
Two might respond, one might arrive. In
September of last year, we invited 22
top people… and all 22 came. That
doesn’t even happen in Adelaide! That
shows the difference in the perception of
Australian wine. Times have changed •
Peter Gago is the winemaker
behind the most expensive
wine in the world – the
Penfolds Ampoule Kalimna
Block 42 Cabernet
Sauvignon 2004, valued at
over $US160,000.
VINEXPO DAILY / REVIEW EDITION / FRIDAY 30 TH JUNE 17