Marlborough Sounds escape

A beautiful morning in Blenheim and we are sneaking about trying not to wake tired kids as we pack for the Sounds.  We have decided to see the end of 2008 at my parents bach in Yncyca Bay in the Pelorus Sounds.   Do call in if you are

out in the Sounds – pull up at the first jetty after Turn Point in Yncyca Bay.

 

Thanks to many of you who sent Christmas wishes – we had a lovely Chrissy with family.   I did run a competition on our facebook page offering a free bottle of wine for the first “Merry Christmas” posted with a ‘fiasco’ of responses.  Some posted here (Dale Campbell was first), some posted on our facebook fiasco fan page (Ngaire Lawson was first), some posted on our facebook fiasco group (Lizzie Graham was first) and some posted me an e-mail (Sarah Burton was first).  Sooooo, looks like we have more than one bottle to give away!  (Mental note to self- take a bit more care with instructions next time ) I will get on to that as soon as we are back from the Sounds…assuming we have some wine left after New Years celebrations   As for the competition to get a bargain case of 12 for $90, Jules is currently winning with a cracker of a story under the “COME ON WE DARE YOU” post!

In Jan we head for the North Island, and are having about a week exploring Auckland.  So all you Aucklanders, we would really appreciate your top ten things to do in Auckland…

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

What is the ‘right’ thing to do?

A lot has been written lately about the wine glut.  2008 saw the largest yield ever and Tessa Nicholson makes the comment in this month’s Winepress that: “The days of growing as many tonnes per hectare as you can, and expecting to get top dollar are well and truly over.”    At present wine companies are negotiating prices per tonne of grapes for next year’s vintage and the prices are well down on last year.  Whats-more, many wine companies are stipulating a maximum tonnage per hectare and are demanding that growers go through their vines now and strip out excess fruit. 

The plan is to get quality fruit and not excess fruit.   In past years some folk have grown grapes without having the fruit contracted to anyone and they have then played the spot market, selling to the highest bidder once vintage is over.  This worked when wine companies couldn’t get enough fruit to meet markets… in today’s climate it would be a very risky approach!  In the past some folk relied on high tonnages and assumed large and growing payouts would meet the hefty mortgage costs involved in borrowing heavily to buy or establish a vineyard… in today’s climate this too would obviously be very risky and I’m guessing we may see some more vineyards back on the market in the near future.   

Although there have understandably been moans of discontent from growers as they try to negotiate with wine companies, the changes were inevitable and should ensure that the industry as a whole stays healthy.  The large fruit volumes harvested this year were the result of an unpredicted natural increase in yield and an increase in grape plantings that were speculative as opposed to being contracted to wine companies.  In 2009 there is again more plantings coming into production and again the forecast is that the vines look heavy with fruit.  Add to this the problems of the recession’s uncertain export markets and the high likelihood that a lot of 2008 wine will still be unsold.  What then is the right thing to do? 

I agree that it makes sense to focus on quality not quantity and that growers need to negotiate solid, fair deals with wine companies and that wine companies in turn need to be putting every effort into effective marketing of the end product.    But what I’m unsure about is what is the right thing to do with the excess wine from 2008?  What should be done with the fruit from those growers who chose to get it made into wine with no contract to sell it to a wine company.  This bulk wine sits in the tanks with a cheap price tag and will have to sell soon to empty tanks for next vintage.

There are two main schools of thought:

1.  Do not buy it cheap, bottle it and sell it at rock bottom prices.  If a brand drops its prices, it will find it hard to ever get them back up again.  People perceive cheap = poor quality.  It is better to tip the wine out than sell it cheap.  A short term gain is not worth destroying the reputation of New Zealand’s fine wine.  It would be selfish to risk ruining that reputation for everyone.  Heck, even if it were given away free to poor countries that had no chance of ever being potential export markets, cheap or free alcohol would then be drunk to excess and lets face it – that never did anyone much good.

2.  Sell it cheap under another label name.  This is better than letting it go down the drain in a time when we are supposed to be more aware than ever of wastage.  Many New Zealand wines are white varieties with a short perceived shelf life so lets just move this lot cheap as a ‘one off’ under different names to our big quality brands and with industry changes it shouldn’t happen again.  But even a different brand name must still be labelled as being from Marlborough, New Zealand.  Would this still risk damaging the reputation of New Zealand wine.  Is this dishonest to the public – selling them the same stuff at two different price levels? 

What do you reckon?

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc…..over supply.

Who's to blame?

Fiasco sponsors rogue Turkey!

Turkey Gobbler

Last Thursday a rogue Turkey was found gobbling around central Blenheim.  The bird, evidentially,  put on a real show and had local councillors, lawyers, animal control, and police in hot pursuit.  Eventually, the bald headed fowl was bought down in a blaze of glory by all listed above, and is now serving time out of town.   We here at Fiasco feel sorry for this plucky character.  We can sorta see ourselves within this bird.  Out in the big bad world by itself, not particularily good looking, beady eyed (Aaron anyway), shitting, pecking here and there, and making a general nuisance of itself.  So, we’ve volunteered to help the turkey out,  take the thing under our wing….and officially sponsor the feathery beast.  You see, we feel sorry for it.   They’re  endangered species this time of the year…………mmmm…….first Turkey……..maybe some ham could put in a special appearance in town…….

Tune in to More F.M next week for more on the Turkey

Cheers.

COME ON WE DARE YOU!

The first person to leave the funniest Fiasco of a story wins a case of our wine for $100 bones.  This includes postage anywhere in NZ.

Rules:

1. No stories about the author (s)

2. Porkies allowed

3. Scandals highly encouraged

Cheers,

Fiasco in a bottle

NEWS FLASH ‘FIASCO BREAKS INTO NEW MARKET’

We’ll, we’ve done it!   After days of phone calls,  hard core negotiations, humming and ho-ing, abuse, lies, ball rubbing (bowling), listening to Charlie Pride, and 1 x 750ml bottle of DB drunk from the neck………..Fiasco Wines is now thee official wine of the Renwick Bowling Club.  This is a major coup for the little guy.  Us.  We’ve knocked Timara clean off it’s perch, and the only wines you will see featuring in the bowling club chiller, are highly polished bottles of Fiasco.  The boy’s out there drive a hell of bargain and we’ve certainly had to pull our pants down to clinch the deal.  Was well worth it though.  

You see Renwick ( Population; circa 1500 people) is my little ol’ home town, and is located about 10km west of Blenheim.  So to have our wine featuring back where I grew up is really quite moving  .  The president of the club had heard through the grapevine that I was a purveyor of fine…. quote  ’poofter juice’ and maybe he could “do something bloody with it….for the ladies of course”

I sleep easy….first the Renwick Bowling Club.  Tomorrow the world

Cheers,

Azza

Best present ever

As I said in the last post, we have an exciting and unique new product to be added to the Fiasco range.  Aaron and I are expecting another baby!  (Note: the correct response is ‘Congratulations’…strangely enough many of our close friends and family seem to think  ”Bullshit” is appropriate )  Yes, it will mean a seven year gap between our youngest and the latest wombat, but hey balancing a teenage girl, a school boy and a toddler should be good for a few fun fiascos!

We had our first ultrasound last week and all is looking well as I near the end of the first trimester.   I had been wishing to shift Christmas to mid-winter and my wish has been answered … the day of unwrapping is estimated to be June 27.  For now I’m just enjoying the chance to eat all the good food on offer at this time of year while sticking out my already growing belly and pretending it must be the 5cm long baby’s fault.  However, I can’t say I’m loving being the sober driver who still feels more nauseous than everyone else the next morning!

I am a bit concerned too at name suggestions so far.  Finn thinks it should have his middle name: Logan, but when I told him that the baby would have to have its own middle name, he announced that it could be altered to “login, like on the computer.”  Aaron has suggested Bob, Frank & Larz.  What can I say?  For the sake of Bob Login Thompson, here’s hoping it’s a girl.

Exciting new release

We have an exciting new release planned for late June.  For now it’s still fermenting but when the brew is ready we’re confident it’ll be just magic and quite a unique addition to the Fiasco range.  Be assured we’ll let you know some more details once we’ve notified our key shareholders. Watch this space

The Christmas Fiasco

I’ve listened to some cool debate recently over the Tui beer billboard : ‘Let’s take a moment this Christmas to think about Christ.  Yeah right.’  Tui took it down in the end as it was causing offence to some Christians and had ‘touched a nerve’.  However I don’t think that Tui as a company were being offensive considering they were just stating the reality –  I guess the fact is that sometimes the truth hurts and it’s easier to shoot the messenger.  In my opinion the churches should be thanking Tui for the free advert alerting folk to the fact that Christmas has become one giant shopping fest. 

But do most people care that Christmas has changed, do they laugh at the billboard or is there also a tinge of regret?  I know in our household Christmas brings on a few fiascos (not just the wine ) and I’ve heard other people moan about the Christmas rush, the stress and the financial cost.  I’ve  heard a few, but not many, bemoan the loss of spiritual meaning.  Either way, I do think there is a desire for change, for something simpler.  I’ve come to the conclusion that a good start would be to shift Christmas Day to the middle of winter. 

Here are my pros and cons…

Pros: 

Winter is cold and you could have Christmas in the snow while relishing a hearty hot lunch around the log fire;

Winter gets so boring socially so it would be a nice break and a motivation to  get people together;

The end of the year is far too crowded with all the other end of year work and school functions, let alone summer trips to plan;

There are already plenty of public holidays in summer with things like New Year’s Day, New Year’s Holiday, Auckland & Wellington anniversaries and  a bit later Waitangi Day (we could also throw in a Picnic Day like they have in Australia).  In contrast, there is a bit of a holiday drought in winter;

In the middle of winter,  folk would have a bit more headspace to actually take time to contemplate the meaning of Christmas;

In winter there’s no chance that Boxing Day will see you faced with the prospect of  getting into togs and going swimming with your Christmas gut;

When faced with a bleak, depressing winter the message of Christmas hope may even brighten people up;

The end of the year and beginning of the next is already expensive enough for those providing work-shouts or those buying all the gear for a new school year.  Winter can be bleak for retailers too, so a bit of mid-winter gift buying may help balance out the cash-flow.

We are New Zealand and we pride ourselves on not following the flock but making our own good and bold decisions.  This would be another opportunity for us to lead the way with common sense.

Cons:  

A few days in the middle of winter may not be long enough for those whose family members need to travel to be together;

There is a cool sense of unity in the idea that worldwide Dec 25 is Christmas Day;

Perhaps the message of hope within Christmas suits the start of a new year? 

Would Christians be offended – is December 25 a sacred date not to be messed with?

 

Looks like the pros win out – what do you think?

Jack of all trades…master of none

Well this morning Aaron and Tahlia headed off to Pine Valley for her school camp, leaving me at the Fiasco helm.  How hard could it be? 

Since starting Fiasco, Aaron has reduced his hours of work making wine at Indevin and has devoted some time to managing the sales & marketing of Fiasco.  This has taken some adjusting to – for me, not him.  I don’t like being the one who has to leap up first when the alarm goes off and I can’t resist getting home from my work and saying, “So what have you actually been doing?”  If the washing aint in I expect a pretty full job sheet for the day  

And so it was that when Aaron left me a big list of instructions for his measly three day absence, I took a quick glance and said, “No problem, it’ll be a breeze.”  Looking a little anxious, he handed me his cell phone and headed off into the wilderness.  I proceeded to head to college for ‘Activities Day.’  This is a fun day we have towards the end of the year where the students are offered a whole range of activities that wouldn’t normally be part of the average school day.  I was taking a small group of teenagers for a tramp up Mt Vernon… with Aaron’s cell phone of course, and mine for back up.  9.15 am – Check phone…missed call…shit…call number back…it is our distributor:  “Look the 14 cases of wine due at Auckland Airport havent arrived yet, do you have a tracking number?” 

Aaron had given me loads of instructions about how to deal with new orders but hadn’t mentioned past orders…or had he?  The call proceeded to go something like this…

“Um, um, I’m not sure.  I don’t have the tracking number.  But I’m on a track, but that’s not much help is it, um sorry about the puffing it’s damn steep just here. I could look for it when I get home at lunch time”

“Well look I need to know where it is now.   I might just have to get another wine company to fill the order this time around.”

“Oh…um…Ok.”

I hang up.   Argghhhhh.  Great start.  I ring Tahlia’s school and try to see if they have left on camp yet.  The phone goes out of range mid call.  I try the other phone, it works.  I round the corner and the first phone comes back into range and rings.  Uh oh, I leave the school call and answer.  A bloke tells me the tastings were fantastic and to pop in to set up an order.   “Super,” I say and hang up.  I go back to the school call ‘ “Call lost.”  I realise I didn’t even ask the other guy’s name.  Hopefully Aaron will know what that was about.   And by now the teenagers are getting a bit far ahead.

A text message:  a couple of cases need picking up from Wine Bottlers and delivering to the couriers. 

Crikey I’ll have to do that after I get Finn from school. 

So I am managing Fiasco, my teaching work, my children…I just wouldn’t go as far as saying I’m mastering any of it!