THE WINE FRONT

Interview by Adam Catford 

Name:
Bill Downie

Age:
32

Where you currently make wine:
De Bortoli Yarra Valley

Where you’ve made wine in the past:
Nowhere

Most significant wine you’ve ever drunk:
The best wine I can think of was Clos St Jacques 1961 Clair Dau but I became a Francophile after a bog standard Drouhin Chablis 1993.

How was it?
The Clair Dau was stellar, the Drouhin was the first time I'd seen wine that was more place than variety or grower.

Wine you’re most proud of having been associated with the making of?
I don't think I've yet made anything I can really say I'm “proud” of. I hope I get there one day.

Is there any wine you’ve been associated with the making of that, if you had your time again, you’d treat/make differently?
Everything.

In your opinion, which wine style/grape variety does Australia and New Zealand, respectively, do best?
Sauvignon Blanc (Upper Yarra), Syrah (Gimblett Gravels)

Other than the wineries you have worked with, which Australian/NZ winery is best represented in your personal cellar?
Crawford River or Gembrook Hill

Favourite wine region (Australia):
Yarra Valley (of course!)

Favourite wine region (world-wide):
Cote de Nuits (of course!)

Favourite movie:
Pass, too hard.

Favourite book (general):
The Man Who Ate Everything – Jeffrey Steingarten

Favourite wine-related book:
The Great Domaines of Burgundy – Remington Norman

Desert-island food-wine match:
Salon and parmigiano reggiano

How do you take your coffee?
Short and black

Your opinion on the ‘high alcohol wines can’t be in balance’ view?
I think Chambers do it very well.

What do you most detest about the wine industry?
Hangovers

What do you most love about the wine industry?
Getting pissed

Any comments you would like to add/make in relation to the state of the wine industry here or globally?
Too many university degrees not enough craftsmen(or women).

The sea of commercial wine seems to create an opportunity for the creative, quality small maker. The raft of these generic wines meets the vast majority of wine drinkers' needs (90%+) and the small proportion of oenophiles who want more out of their wine (2% +) is where the small quality outfits fill the space. It actually seems a good marriage, but the wine press are very critical of the big volume commercial wine companies. What are your thoughts?
I don't see why the big guys can't make decent wine. They have the resources. I can only assume they're not interested. There are equally a lot of small producers that could (should) perhaps be aiming higher. There's lots of room for improvement at both ends.

Finally, the 2007 vintage is being described as a disaster. How did you fare ?
Not too bad actually.

Thanks to Bill Downie for his time.
Interview by Adam Catford.