Blair in the cellar

Winemaker’s Comment – Spring 2024

Over the last four months Nigel and I have been busy visiting several of our markets: conducting various events including tastings at retail shops; winemaker dinners at fine restaurants; importer and distributor staff trainings as well as private customer events. Despite the long hours travelling, hotel life and laundry management we both really enjoy it.  It’s an important time to measure ourselves with regard to our customers, both professionals and amateurs. We head out thinking about what we’d like to talk about: the weather; the accumulating effect of vine age; the effect of increasing winemaker age (I suppose, a factor in there!)? There is also, new ideas in viticulture, new trends in winemaking thinking, the influence of climate change …  all things people seem to enjoy hearing about. It’s another great opportunity to share information and provide updates on other aspects of our business: like the lengthy, committed service of many of our team (too many and too long to detail here), our IWCA membership (International Wineries for Climate Action) and the B Corp certification we received earlier this year. 

While growing, making and selling delicious wine is our core activity, it’s important to remember that we need to be going about our business in an environmentally sensitive manner and operate a business that has some key core values at its heart. Not least of which it must be both sustainable and enduring. It might appear that we’re into collecting badges (also add in organic and biodynamic certifications), but we feel strongly that authenticating our actions is important. Our memberships, their audits and certifications come with not insubstantial cost, but when recently asked about this, I thought of how important it is to think of the cost of not doing all this. The many benefits don’t always appear to be measurable and tangible, but are becoming increasingly fundamental to all of our stakeholders; including our workers, our community, our environment and our customers in this rapidly changing world.

Another great aspect of visiting our markets and customers is to reconnect with the many people we have formed close relationships with over the years. It seems somewhat coincidental that many of our international importers are of a similar age, but many started their businesses as global interest in a wider definition of fine wine really took off. There are, of course, some exceptions; such as family owned UK wine Merchants: Berry Bros & Rudd who were founded in 1698 and have been taking Felton Road since our first vintage (but not theirs!). We were perhaps fortunate with our timing, but we have always endeavoured to be internationally recognised, often forgoing short and medium-term profits in order to establish our distribution network globally. It’s not just our importers and distribution partners, or members of the wine trade that we’re closely connected with: we feel honoured to have a lot of customers who see us as friends. We have an unwritten rule at the winery: we prefer to sell our wines to folk who we enjoy sitting at the table with; sharing a great bottle or two of wine. 

The sharing of a delicious bottle, the conversations, the expansive camaraderie in the world of fine wine is not only great fun, it has a profound influence that continues to inspire us. I’d be doing an injustice to try and list the many fabulous experiences, but I have to tell you how inspirational, humbling and emotional it was to share a ’53 Petrus and a ‘37 Ausone (gifted to me on his death by Felton Road founder Stewart Elms) over the weekend with three of Stewart and my university classmates! What a journey that university encounter began!

Cheers

Blair

Blair Walter
Blair inspecting the fruit

Winemaker’s Comment – Spring 2024

Over the last four months Nigel and I have been busy visiting several of our markets: conducting various events including tastings at retail shops; winemaker dinners at fine restaurants; importer and distributor staff trainings as well as private customer events. Despite the long hours travelling, hotel life and laundry management we both really enjoy it.  It’s an important time to measure ourselves with regard to our customers, both professionals and amateurs. We head out thinking about what we’d like to talk about: the weather; the accumulating effect of vine age; the effect of increasing winemaker age (I suppose, a factor in there!)? There is also, new ideas in viticulture, new trends in winemaking thinking, the influence of climate change …  all things people seem to enjoy hearing about. It’s another great opportunity to share information and provide updates on other aspects of our business: like the lengthy, committed service of many of our team (too many and too long to detail here), our IWCA membership (International Wineries for Climate Action) and the B Corp certification we received earlier this year. 

While growing, making and selling delicious wine is our core activity, it’s important to remember that we need to be going about our business in an environmentally sensitive manner and operate a business that has some key core values at its heart. Not least of which it must be both sustainable and enduring. It might appear that we’re into collecting badges (also add in organic and biodynamic certifications), but we feel strongly that authenticating our actions is important. Our memberships, their audits and certifications come with not insubstantial cost, but when recently asked about this, I thought of how important it is to think of the cost of not doing all this. The many benefits don’t always appear to be measurable and tangible, but are becoming increasingly fundamental to all of our stakeholders; including our workers, our community, our environment and our customers in this rapidly changing world.

Another great aspect of visiting our markets and customers is to reconnect with the many people we have formed close relationships with over the years. It seems somewhat coincidental that many of our international importers are of a similar age, but many started their businesses as global interest in a wider definition of fine wine really took off. There are, of course, some exceptions; such as family owned UK wine Merchants: Berry Bros & Rudd who were founded in 1698 and have been taking Felton Road since our first vintage (but not theirs!). We were perhaps fortunate with our timing, but we have always endeavoured to be internationally recognised, often forgoing short and medium-term profits in order to establish our distribution network globally. It’s not just our importers and distribution partners, or members of the wine trade that we’re closely connected with: we feel honoured to have a lot of customers who see us as friends. We have an unwritten rule at the winery: we prefer to sell our wines to folk who we enjoy sitting at the table with; sharing a great bottle or two of wine. 

The sharing of a delicious bottle, the conversations, the expansive camaraderie in the world of fine wine is not only great fun, it has a profound influence that continues to inspire us. I’d be doing an injustice to try and list the many fabulous experiences, but I have to tell you how inspirational, humbling and emotional it was to share a ’53 Petrus and a ‘37 Ausone (gifted to me on his death by Felton Road founder Stewart Elms) over the weekend with three of Stewart and my university classmates! What a journey that university encounter began!

Cheers

Blair