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The Peter Shields Podcast
shields_conversation_part1.mp3 (11.5 mb  16:45 minutes)	In this part of our conversation, after a really rambling start during which we investigate child business ethics and slander French Pinot, we hear about Peter's introduction to the wine industry, we find out how to produce the worst Grange vintage ever, we have a fair old moan about statistics and discover how to bankrupt a university faculty. To finish we find out what the Australian wine industry was like in the 'old days'.
shields_conversation_part2.mp3 (14.7 mb  21:27 minutes)	In this part we continue to follow Peter's career in the wine industry. Along the way we hear about Billy Connolly and his wife (both past and present) find out how he came to Tasmania and how he runs his winemaking business. To finish of we discuss the merits or otherwise of wine shows.
shields_conversation_part3.mp3 (15.8mb  23:03 minutes)	In this part we hear about Peter's best and worst wine experiences, we hear about what it is like being a small winemaker in Tasmania, Peter defends large winemakers like Orlando, we discuss what you should look for in a Merlot, swap stories about the Barossa and highlight the lego man. Moving on to the personal questions we find out about Peter's favourite wine variety, his favourite wine region and find out with whom he would like to have a glass of wine. To finish Peter talks a little about his approach to winemaking.

Peter Shields - He's made Grange.

We have runs on the board with regard to how not to conduct an interview and we have to say we have probably disappointed our god Andrew Denton again.  Not that we intended it to happen that way, it's just that talking to Peter reminded us of those interviews that Michael Parkinson did with Billy Connolly (Peter knew Billy before he was famous - Ed). Michael would ask one question and whoosh Billy would be off. The result was a very funny, entertaining but chaotic experience. Now just so you know, we are not blaming Peter for the rambling nature of our conversation. 

Peter Shields.

PJ led with a story about buying plums from a couple of country kids for reasons that still aren't clear. Our discipline then suffered irreversible damage by Peter telling us his opinion of $600 bottles of French Pinot.  "They're all terrible, badly oxidised and badly made .... so what level do you need to get to to get something decent!?". As a result we just sat back and let Peter talk and we are very glad we did because he has a way of delivering what, by any measure, is an incredible knowledge of wine and the wine industry in the form of funny and entertaining stories. We could have spent a lot of time editing the conversation before we posted it but we think that would have ruined the experience.  Anyway, having justified ourselves lets move on.

Peter's connection with the wine industry dates back to the late 1960's and encompasses both practical and academic experience. His start came when he had the good fortune to meet and then be asked by Peter McWilliams (Yes, that McWilliams - Ed) to 'come and do a couple of vintages in the Hunter Valley'. This is a bit like meeting Bill Gates and being invited to come and write a wee bit of software.

This initial connection with the wine industry saw him eventually working for Penfolds and gave him the chance to make Grange. Unfortunately Peter's major vintage occurred in 1974 which was a particularly wet year in the Barossa. As a result Peter is forever linked to the worst Grange vintage in history (only so far! - Ed). If you think we are being a bit harsh check the price the vintages from the 1970's are fetching - as Peter points out "it's usually around $5,000 but the '74 is $100".

Winemaker Boys Toys.

The way Penfolds has been the corporate play thing of a number of 'entrepreneurs' is, in our opinion, one of the greatest scandals in the Australian wine industry.  The takeover by Tooths Brewery of Penfolds in the mid 1970's began what Peter refers to as "the down hill run to the Southcorp / Fosters thing". This change to the company resulted in a disillusioned Peter leaving the industry, spending six months in Bordeaux, and then taking up teaching at a high school in Bourke NSW.

While he had a great time teaching Economics and Geography at Bourke High School, when Peter saw an advertisement for a position lecturing at Roseworthy College he applied and was successful.  At the time Roseworthy, which had been training winemakers since the late 1800's, was 'the' wine training school in Australia. Peter stayed at Roseworthy until it was taken over by Adelaide University and the wine course became increasingly theoretical. 

Peter relaxing.

We finished this part of the conversation sharing Peters disquiet about how the mainland wine industry has changed over the years.  In particular Peter laments the effect of the move from a quality centric industry to one influenced by managed investment schemes and 'profit centres'. His story about what happened to the Grange vineyards near Adelaide when Penfolds was taken over by Adelaide Steamship is particularly depressing.

The second part

Our fun park ride this is the second part of our conversation with Peter started on a reasonably serious note as we touched on the difference between making beer and wine from a business perspective but then quickly went back to the story telling nature with Peter going 'international' as he explained how he moved to Scotland to please his wife (sensible man our Pete - Ed) and ended up drinking regularly with a relatively unknown but up and coming comic Billy Connolly. At this point the conversation took on a bit of a 'New Weekly' approach as Peter discussed Billy's new wife Pamela but eventually we got back to the serious business of discussing wine. 

Peter and his wife eventually came back to Australia although Peter had to promise that they would move somewhere cold and so they moved to West Hobart and then Allens Rivulet. Peter's first vintage was made by a former Roseworthy student Andrew Vasiljuk of Crosswinds Vineyard. Andrew unfortunately became ill and could not continue to run his vineyard or operate as a contract winemaker. In fact Peter told us that the vineyard had been bulldozed after failing to be sold as a vineyard. This is a very sad outcome for all involved and has removed a great vineyard from the Tasmanian wine scene.

Peter did try another contract winemaker but was so disappointed with the results that he decided to make his own wine. He also noticed that there was an opportunity for a niche winemaker to work with vineyard owners who do not produce a large enough crush for the major winemakers. Mind you he did find that initially some vineyard owners did not appreciate the French inspired winemaking style that Peter uses.  

We finished with Peter's views on wine shows with him explaining why he does not enter wines in the Tasmanian Wine show. This was pretty relevant at the time of the conversation which took place the day before we headed off the interview Phil Laing and others at that particular wine show.

The last part of our conversation will be posted at the end of April and in it Peter is subjected to the feared winepunter personal questions.

The third part

We begin this part of the conversation asking Peter about his favourite wine experience, which is the best one we have heard so far because it involves a plucky Aussie battler sticking it up a bunch of snooty french wine snobs who tried to trick him (Another french defeat, the list gets longer and longer! - Ed). In the interests of balance and in the hope of a funny story we also asked Peter about his worst wine experience to which he sensibly replied "there's no such thing is there?".  Although he did confess to having got horribly drunk at a 21st on "Chateau Gay" (heard of that one punters? - Ed) which was a sparkling ben ean moselle with lots of sugar in it - mmmm.

Peter is a boutique winemaker and shared his thoughts about the local industry. He is amazed at the concentration of winemaking in Tasmania and as a result "you have a large number of labels that are not really different". He also isn't convinced about the argument that this doesn't matter because the wine gets its character in the vineyard. "People say great wine is made in the vineyard but it's not, it really isn't .. we (winemakers) can stuff it up completely no trouble at all."

The other troubling aspect from Peters perspective is the fact that it isn't always possible to apply all the necessary wine making steps because of the cost. In addition many vineyard owners do not take advantage of the access they have to a winemaker to see how their wines are made. In fact, only one of his clients makes a point of coming in to taste the wines as they develop.  Many drop the grapes off and the next time Peter sees them is when they turn up to collect their wine. He made the point that this also happens to the larger winemakers as well.  

As we like to do we moved on to our personal questions and we started by wanting to know about his favourite wine variety. In response he gave us a very interesting lesson in picking a good merlot or malbec.  He also pointed out that wine labels like Orlando, while known for their bulk wines, are in fact excellent winemakers and  people should get over their 'big labels are rubbish' snobbery and try their premium wines. In particular Peter praised Lehmans 2003 Margaret semillon, which is ridiculously cheap because so many people don't like semillon.

Moving on to Peter's favourite wine region ended up being a story swapfest about the Barossa (go see the Lego man in Angaston - Ed) and all our favourite names, like Charles Melton, got a run. Talking about Charles Melton we still haven't got over the fact that when we went to his cellar door we were directed to our seats, handed a bottle of shiraz and told "help yourself" (this is what heaven is like kiddies - Ed). While the Barossa is his favourite region he believes overall the Coonawarra makes the best wine especially the region's well made, aged cabernets.

We may have to rethink our "if a phone goes off during a conversation the phone owner owes a dozen bottles to  the others" people are just not living up to their obligations. Peter has joined an ever increasing list of people who owe us a dozen bottles and none, that's right punters none, have arrived. 

In response to the theme song question Peter mentioned "something by Leonard Cohen" or part of the symphony from which we got the "Can Can" which is quite different from the responses we have had in the past.

To finish we encouraged Peter talk about his approach to winemaking and his response can be summed up best when he said

"Wine is not a product to be drunk like soft drink - it has to be aged to give it complexity"

We want to thank Peter for his time and all the wine he opened for us to test during the conversation - something we hope catches on!

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