Interview – Southcorp’s Winemaker, Philip Shaw

With Rosemount’s ‘merger’ with Southcorp complete, Rosemount’s chief winemaker Philip Shaw, one of the most decorated of all Australian winemakers, has been appointed Southcorp winemaker. Now responsible for all winemaking at Southcorp with the exception of the Penfolds brand which remains under the control of John Duval, Shaw has an unprecedented and possibly daunting opportunity to exert change over the wines of Australia’s largest domestic maker.

It’s something of a homecoming for Shaw, who until the end of 1981 was winemaker for Lindemans at Karadoc, Mildura, where he had worked the twelve years after graduating from Roseworthy College. Born in Adelaide, he has always mucked around wineries, working washing bottles after school and attempting to make wines while his schoolmates were conducting chemistry experiments. Today he reckons he’s as enthusiastic about his winemaking as ever before.

From a winemaking perspective, what has made Rosemount’s wines so successful?

It might sound dumb, but we’ve always understood that we were making wines for people, rather than for technical experts. That’s a very important thing missing in a lot of wine companies, especially those which rely on wine shows. Shows are good technically, but can end up getting people thinking in just one direction.

What’s it like to shoulder all the new responsibilities?

Actually, there’s less pressure. A lot less. I’ve not got better resources to do what I was trying to do at Rosemount. I was a bit worried at the start, but when I got involved and had been here a while, I recognised the huge opportunities to help here. If I felt I couldn’t do much I’d be concerned, but now I’m more relaxed than where I was.

My biggest challenge is to try to get a big company to be more focused on what it’s all about. There’s great talent here and the understanding of quality is fantastic, but it’s lost some focus towards the consumer. The emphasis has been more about style, more about what they were doing than what the market wants. Wine is always changing, unfolding with the fashions.

What are the first changes people will notice in Southcorp’s wines?

One of the first things I’d like to do is to get some of the more commercial wines more focused on style, to aim for greater a broader appeal. I’m less concerned that making wines to fit in with the expectations of particular brands. I’m going to try to pull it together and mend it; I’d rather make wines for the future than for people in the past.

Changes will take some time, especially with the top end high priced reds. I’m after more fruitiness in the top end whites and want to change the emphasis back into taking more care of white wines, which need more depth of fruit. There’s no getting away with just alcohol and wood. We haven’t been able to change much for 2001, but you’ll notice developments from 2002 and 2003. At the commercial end of the reds, we’re immediately aiming for more depth of fruit and softer appeal. You’ll notice more richness and texture.

How will your increased responsibilities alter the way you make wine?

While I’m probably a natural winemaker, I’m not a natural leader. I’ve a huge amount of enthusiasm and an ability to work, and that might make up for my other lackings. At Rosemount I have great people and a great team. Andrew Koerner Shaw’s second in command at Rosemount is a very good winemaker with his own ideas and he and I have a close affinity with what is commercially right.

As soon as I talk ‘commercial’ most people think of $10 wines, but I’m talking all the way up to $300 per bottle, which we’re trying to make. These wines must still be commercial, for commerciality is about understanding what makes a wine work at whatever price point it is. While you need more depth at the top end, the wines must still be drinkable, have soft tannins and be structured right. I spend lot of time on structure and balance – if wines don’t feel right in the mouth, you have to make them right. You’re kidding yourself if you say they will be ok in ten years time.

A hundred years ago the English wine buyers lived in large houses with cellars. Who has money today? People living in penthouses; and they don’t have cellars. So even the top Bordeaux wines of today are made to be very drinkable at a young age.

How do you view the 2001 vintage?

Firstly, this season looked like being a disaster until we had one of the hottest summers on record. Then it looked as if we might have heat stress problems like we did in 2000 but the reds, shiraz and merlot especially, have worked out pretty well. Cabernet is slightly weaker, chardonnay is pretty good to very good, but sauvignon blanc is a bit broader and flabby, but it was always going to be a weak season for this grape.

There might be less high quality red than we’ve had in the past and quite possibly a shortfall in whites. Around the world there’s an oversupply of red that don’t meet decent quality levels, but there will always be a demand for better fruit. I haven’t seen much fruit left on the vine at all. I have rejected some fruit, but others have then picked it up.

Any high points from 2001?

Barossa reds are excellent and Margaret River reds are very good. Great Western and Mudgee are pretty good but difficult, while the McLaren Vale hasn’t been as good as the Barossa.

Other highlights from 2001 might well come from central Victoria, the Hilltops region of New South Wales, and older Coonawarra vineyards. Please login to post comment