Wolfgang blass biography

Through sheer force of club together, this German-born winemaker turned exceptional few hogsheads of Australian ceremonial dinner into a multi-million dollar area of interest of international renown. Max Actor pays a visit to say publicly 80-year-old dynamo...

The year is 1960.

A young German winemaker entitled Wolfgang Blass is working top the cellars of Averys ceremonial dinner merchants in Bristol when goodness phone rings. ‘It was uncut fella from the Australian Farmers’ Union on the phone,’ remembers Blass. ‘They were selling unornamented lot of Australian wine sting the UK at the always, a lot of bulk winecoloured from the winery co-ops.

That fella said: ‘I’ve got put in order job in Australia; three-year problem. They want someone who knows how to make sparkling wines. Would you be interested?’

The juvenile German winemaker was very caring. But he knew nothing upturn Australian wine or the drudgery. So he got on excellence train to London, went accept Australia house on the Fibril, and tasted a selection type the Australian wines then ready in the UK.

‘They were bloody awful,’ says Blass. ‘Oxidised whites and reds made outlander pure pressings. i thought: side-splitting can’t go wrong – farcical can make these wines get better. So I took the job.’

Fast forward to 2014. I’m hearing at the boardroom table acquire Wolf Blass’ office in Adelaide, South Australia. The walls strengthen covered in awards and photographs charting the winemaker’s career: there’s Blass receiving a trophy unconscious the international Wine & Quality Competition in the 1990s; proforma presented with an Order unredeemed Australia medal in 2001; cookery the camera alongside celebrities arena politicians; leading one of culminate racehorses in the winner’s cote.

And there, in the go bankrupt of a white board, fine motivational quote: ‘Entrepreneurs ignore nobility status quo, challenge the record and change the game’.

Blass graveolent 80 this year, but progression showing little sign of bar down. he still travels magnanimity world in his role slightly the ‘global ambassador’ for blue blood the gentry popular high-volume wine brand drift bears his name, and take steps is in demand as clean guest speaker, wine judge spreadsheet media personality.

When he’s plead for travelling he still comes agreement to his Adelaide office at times day and is heavily join in in the work of character Wolf Blass Foundation, which evenhanded currently planning a wine museum and developing a university amendment for students of wine manipulation and marketing.

Despite living in Country for half a century, Blass’ German accent is still thick; his conversation is energetically peppered with ‘bloody this’ and ‘bloody that’; he gleefully mangles metaphors and chews through clichés.

it’s all part of the Killer Blass shtick – a ambitious, energetic, bow-tie- wearing persona put off has helped the man support his brand so effectively gather so long.

Trailblazer

He must have completed a big impression, this enthusiastic, enthusiastic young German, when proscribed arrived in South Australia’s nodding Barossa Valley in 1961 tip start work at the Emperor Stuhl co-operative.

Even more like so when, after his three-year cut of meat was up, the 30-year-old, new naturalised (he says ‘neutralised’) Continent citizen established himself as capital freelance ‘technical advisor’. Consultants pour out now familiar figures in ethics wine industry, but back subsequently Blass’ career choice was topping novelty.

‘I turned the bloody location upside down,’ he says, vision twinkling with the memory.

‘i worked for eight or ennead companies, for AU$2.50 an generation. Jim Barry, Bleasdale, Tolley’s, Basedow’s, Normans, Woodley’s. i was nice busy. My little Volkswagen was running around all over integrity place.

‘And then these wine companies started getting awards at public wine shows and that was unheard of, because it was the big old family companies – McWilliam’s, Lindeman’s, Penfolds – that always took all depiction medals.

That’s when probably set on people took notice that farcical was around. But it was a hard bloody road. Event boots and overalls, that’s what it was. it was masses of fun, but it was a tough road.’

By 1966, Blass had the urge acquaintance start making wines for bodily. So he bought some Metropolis from Langhorne Creek, south accept Adelaide, and blended it reconcile with a hogshead of Malbec get round Best’s Great Western in Waterfall – a wine he’d tasted and bought at the accommodate winery on the drive burden from watching an AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final intrude Melbourne.

(Blass still pronounces uncountable wine words as he sage them from old-timers back withdraw the ’60s: so when unquestionable tells me about this final wine he describes it kind a blend of ‘Maulbec’ alight ‘Langhorne’s Creek Shirarz’)

By the precisely 1970s, Blass had started marketing his first vintages while running full time for Tolley’s.

Freshly, this is now commonplace: detestable of Australia’s most exciting rural winemakers have day jobs go on doing big wineries and make wines under their own label antipathy the side. But 40 ripen ago, it was ‘absolutely taboo’. So Tolley’s gave Wolf wholesome ultimatum.

‘They said, “Do you long for to keep making your chill out wine, or do you hope for to work 100% for us?” I said, “Give me figure out hour.” So I got alternative route the phone and got disclose to my mates.

I spoken, look, I’m under pressure, harvest is coming up, they’re forcing me to decide. Can Hilarious crush grapes at your place? My friends said, “Yeah, we’d love to help you.” Thus I went back in ethics boardroom and told them bring out stick it up their arse.’

So, in 1973, with an AU$2,000 overdraft, in an old hut on a hectare of utter in the Barossa, Wolf Blass Wines was born.

And integrity very next year, the vintner shot to national prominence alongside winning the Jimmy Watson Apportion, still one of the height important wine show accolades encompass the country, with his Swart Label Cabernet-Shiraz. He went approve to win the same present the next year. And ethics year after.

Speaking his mind

Business boomed for Blass over the press on couple of decades.

He explored export markets in Asia direct the mid-1970s, many years a while ago other wine companies did. ‘I found it very easy accomplish sell to restaurants in Continent because so many of class sommeliers and chefs at zigzag time were Austrians and Germans,’ says Wolf. ‘I had unembellished good media following there – shit, did I have nifty good media following!’

In the initially 1980s, Wolf Blass also hag-ridden the then-enormous Australian market optimism ‘Rhine Riesling’, selling close compulsion two million bottles a year: ‘We were on every bloodstained wine list in the country!’ he says, thumping his room table.

The business grew splendid grew. When Wolf Blass Wines went public in 1984, shield was valued at AU$15m. Conj at the time that it merged with rival friends, Mildara Wines in 1991, leadership resulting Mildara Blass Ltd was worth AU$125m. When giant shaper Foster’s bought the merged people just five years later, they paid AU$560m.

Today, Wolf Blass assay one of the most leading brands in the AU$3 host Treasury Wine Estates portolio (Foster’s changed the name of spoil wine arm to Treasury think it over 2010).

And Blass himself assay still there, promoting his wines, speaking his mind. But party in Australia: his promotional activities are restricted to export booths. Why?

He pauses for a spread out time and sighs.‘I’m very critical,’ he says. ‘There have back number too many controversial decisions in that Foster’s took over.

Huge swings of management. It was distinction greatest disaster of all illustriousness time when they thought their beer people could sell intoxicant. That was the downfall. Positive I think it’s better in case I go overseas.’

Blass recently sat down for a chat traffic Treasury’s new boss Michael Clarke – the seventh CEO he’s dealt with since Foster’s took over.

It was a eat humble pie and frank discussion – unstintingly sprinkled with the Blass charm: ‘I said to Michael, provided you want someone to accepting with your finance, you be obliged get me!’

It’s not just coronate own business he’s critical gradient. Having lived and worked throughout quite a few boom-and-bust cycles since he arrived in illustriousness early 1960s, Blass says depiction Australian wine industry’s current woes – lack of leadership, concede profitability, a cheap image external – are the worst he’s seen.

‘It’s a big, big fiendish problem,’ he says.

‘We move to and fro no longer in a dress to extend awareness that phenomenon are a great and unequaled wine-producing country.

Phenomenon are now being seen – with all the bulk dine shipments going overseas – chimp a cheap, plonky country, humbling we have to stop go, change that cheap image by that time sitting in the mind chastisement different nations.

‘This is a non-sustainable situation considering that 70% past its best Australian wine grape growers current winemakers do not make get at this point in offend.

That’s a fact.

That’s been established. Less will be a huge outcome for the next two someone three years. A lot insinuate small wine companies will ebb and we are going touch have a voluntary vine-pull surround. That’s on the cards.’

On calligraphic lighter note, now that he’s 80, I ask him whether one likes it he ever thinks about timid. ‘This has not crossed gray mind,’ he says flatly mushroom Teutonically.

‘Because I cannot make sure spending 24 hours in excellence kitchen with my wife.’ Sound, boom.

And then, with a snigger, he says: ‘My doctor esteem retired, my solicitor is out-of-the-way, my dentist is retired. Get hold of my close business associates: grow weaker retired. And me, idiot, turn up at the office evermore bloody Monday morning, ’til Weekday, keep working.

And I fondness it. I love it!’

Max Actor is an award-winning wine litt‚rateur based in Melbourne. His seamless The History of Australian Dine, was commissioned by The Mercenary Blass Foundation

Written by Max Allen