DOWN-UNDER WONDERS: When Hardys merged with a US corporation, its independent spirit lived on, writes Joe Breen
Our views of wine and winemakers tend to be romantic. The slanted fields of vines, the sun kissing the grapes, the winemaker watching the harvest come through the door. Add a family to the picture and it can seem even rosier. But the Hardy family from South Australia found out the hard way how tough the wine business can be. Having built their business into one of the biggest wine companies in Australia, they made the mistake of buying one of Italy's oldest Chianti producers, which drained resources - and was later sold at a fraction of the purchase price. The Hardys were forced in 2003 to merge with Constellation, creating one of the world's biggest drinks companies. The Hardy family lost everything built up over four generations.
"It was very difficult. My dad took it very hard, but you have to move on," says Andrew Hardy, one of the fifth generation. He is philosophical about the loss of the family firm, but he had moved on long before the merger. He had started to learn winemaking in 1983 under Brian Croser, at the famed Petaluma winery, before moving to Knappstein Wines, in Clare Valley, in 1995. Ten years later he returned to Petaluma to take over from Croser as manager and winemaker.
Hardy was in Dublin to showcase the the winery's latest vintages. Pride of place went to the 2006 Hanlin Hill Riesling (see bottles of the week), but there was much else, including an overly oaked though remarkably concentrated Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay, a northern Rhône blend of Shiraz and Viognier from the Adelaide Hills, and an elegant pure Viognier.
u Another leading Australian winemaker was in town recently: Janice McDonald, who made her name with the cult Australian wine Devil's Lair, then helped found the Margaret River winery Stella Bella, in Western Australia. An example of McDonald's skill is Suckfizzle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2003, a delicious confection in which the sharpness of the Sauvignon and the fatness of the Semillon combine to create an intense summer-fruit experience, underpinned by judicious ageing in French oak and a bracing acidity. The downside is that this high-class partner for spicy food costs about €30.