Cask wine dominated Australia’s wine discovery in the ‘70s and is still today a popular format among consumers, with one in every three glasses of wine poured in Australia from cask. Yet cask winemakers say there is still too much stigma around the cask, which needs to be broken down, and more consumers need to be educated about the benefits of the format.
On Monday night, John Angove, son of Tom Angove – the first Australian winemaker to pioneer the cask invention, as well as winemakers from Accolade, De Bortoli and Yalumba, and other prominent individuals in the cask wine industry, therefore came together at a birthday event held in Sydney, to celebrate the milestone and also to spark conversation about the future of cask and how the industry can work to redefine existing misconceptions of the format.
John Angove was first to point out that the quality of cask wine in Australia today has significantly improved, with cask wine now offering premium and varietal wines like tempranillo and pinot grigio.
Over the last year, the industry has seen premium and innovative cask releases such as The Winesmiths – a new and contemporary brand of cask wine, launched by Yalumba, to capture growing demand and offer the market premium varietals in cask. While Accolade more recently released the Magnum – a redesign of the original cask, offering 1.5 litres (or two bottles of wine), allowing the cask to sit alongside the bottle format on shelves and in fridges. The Magnum was released in line with changing consumption habits, which are seeing more consumers choosing to drink at home.
Nevertheless, negative connotations of the cask continue to resound within the industry. “Stigma has been associated with cask for far too long. And I think the industry shyness and comeuppance towards cask wine is increasingly unjustified”, Chief Executive of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, Paul Evans said.
“The benefits aren’t communicated enough. We need to talk to consumers more about how the cask can fit into their repertoire - about how it’s glass free, how it’s convenient and how it stays fresh for longer”, Scott Bell, General Manager for Cask at Accolade Wines said.
“Cask wine offers consumers quality at a good price point and in a convenient point”, Darren De Bortoli, Managing Director at De Bortoli Wines added.
Over the next year, through the Ask for Cask campaign, winemakers will be launching new products to celebrate the cask and promote the benefits of the format. Winemakers say they are excited about the potential growth in the category and as more consumers chose to drink at home, growth of the category looks prosperous. Additionally and beneficial to the category, cask wine will be an important format in the next few years as the drinking culture in Australia continues to evolve to a more responsible one, with cask wine being able to offer a format that allows consumers to enjoy just one or two glasses of wine at a time, without having to throw away the whole product, like with a bottle of wine.
“Many of the same benefits of the cask apply today as they did in 1965 when Tom Angove invented it. It’s well suited for many social occasions,” according to industry expert and Australian Grape and Wine Authority chair Brian Walsh, who leads Australia’s statutory wine marketing and research authority.
“It offers good value, is kind to the environment, easy to transport and convenient when you only want a glass or two and not a whole bottle. It’s been a part of our culture for 50 years and now Australia is getting ready to celebrate its significant contribution to the growth of the wine sector in this country.
“It is an efficient way of making quality wine accessible to a wide range of consumers, providing a convenient and affordable opportunity to try new styles and varieties which is all part of the diverse landscape of our remarkable wine industry.”
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