Greg Baker on Wisdom & Wine
Posted
on Dec 16, 2014
 |
 |
The last meeting for 2014 and in keeping with the festive season and potential for over indulgence of wine in the days to come was suitably addressed by Greg Baker. Greg perhaps a come lately wine buff displayed his passion for " La Bourgogne et ses cinq vignobles".
Introduced by long term friend and chairman Bill Troedel we heard of how Greg had recently retired from an IT career in the education industry. He was at Scotch College for more than 20 years.
While on a visit to the Chablis region of France a few years back with friends it was explained that he was captivated by it and its wines. Thus came the decision to import and market wine from that region to Australia. So, now he and his wife have a well established marketing operation in Melbourne and extensive accumulated knowledge about French wines from the Burgundy region. In an interesting address we learnt of the geography, villages and people of the five sub regions being
Chablis & Grand Auxerrois,
Cote de Nuits,
Cote de Beaune,
Cote Chalonnaise, and
Maconnais.
Blended with stories of the French rules for grape production and winemaking "Appellation Controlee", were insights into the French wine industry. It covered three thrusts, the large merchants (blenders of purchased product), the cooperatives and the single estate producers. Among the latter one can find the grand names and very expensive wines. Hints about favourable vintage years (2009 great) and advice to purchase from the best winemakers in leaner years gave an insight into the vagaries and quality variations from micro locations, distinctions came from rows of vines.
Greg suggested that French winemakers were among the most experienced and knowledgeable of their own patch, after all many vineyards have been producing for centuries under one family and it followed that the better wines from there surpassed all others. Tradition still dominated many operations (corks still favoured...albeit top quality corking) but there were inroads developing in the use of the Australian screw top.
One contemplated that Greg's genuine passion for these French wines from Chablis would foster his wine business which is appropriately named WISDOM & WINE. So far it is based on direct sales to clubs and restaurants.