Managing the risks in the wine business is the theme of the just-released December 2018 issue of the Grapegrower & Winemaker.

There are risks at every step of the winemaking process, from growing grapes to getting products to market. But what are the main ones? We thought the people best qualified to answer this question were those in the business of offering insurance against risks in the wine industry. After all, they know where the bulk of their claims come from.

Also in the December 2018 issue of the G&W is an article by Henrik Wallgren, business and workplace advisor for the South Australian Wine Industry Association. Earlier this year, SAWIA asked the state’s wine businesses to complete an online questionnaire which asked for their thoughts on a variety of subjects, one of which concerned whether they’d experienced any difficulties in recruiting suitably qualified staff and, if so, in what areas. While the study only involved SA wineries, the results Henrik presents provide a snapshot on the labour supply and demand status quo for the industry at large.

Complementing Henrik’s article is an article by Jo Hargreaves, senior research and development program manager at Wine Australia, who reveals the results of another recent employment-related survey which aimed to find out where further investment might be needed in the people the industry currently employs.

If you weren’t able to get to the Wine Industry Impact Conference held in Adelaide back in October, among the various useful insights presented on the direct-to-consumer market were those by Dan Sims. The mastermind of the very successful Pinot Palooza events, Dan had the unenviable task of giving the last presentation for the day – he didn’t disappoint. Editor Sonya Logan summarises his presentation which couldn’t help but resonate.

In Viticulture, regular writer Ben Rose encourages readers to consider multitasking in the vineyard and take advantage of the many features that modern-day harvesters offer.

And in Winemaking, Anthony Fikkers, the owner and winemaker of small Yarra Valley wine producer Fikkers Wines, reports on his recent trip to France where he visited various wineries in Burgundy, Beaujolais and the Rhone Valley to find out how and why those producers are using whole bunches in their red wine ferments. While there is some hesitation by Australian producers to use whole bunches due to a belief they can result in green tannins and stalky characters, Fikkers saw no evidence of this in his travels.

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