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The Graeme Phillips Chat and live wine review

phillips_the_chat.mp3 (22.4 mb,  24:32 minutes) pinotandshiraz.mp3 (7.10 mb,  7:45 minutes)

The chat starts with Graeme talking about his childhood on the Gold Coast and his introduction to the business of food. He talks about his service overseas for the Government and admits there was an attempted coup in his past. He then moves on to his early experiences in Tassie and gets thanked for his contribution to PJ's social life in the 1980's. Having covered the life story it was on to discussing how Graeme approaches his writing and the role of the wine writer in the wider wine industry. Graeme and I review the 2008 Stefano Lubiana pinot and the Baritone Maxim 1000 cabernet shiraz. With the help of a massage based analogy it becomes clear that the Baritone is a happy ending and the Lubiana is the thinking man's pinot.

PJ chats with wine and food writer Graeme Phillips .....

The finger wagging crowd would not approve of Graeme Phillips. He smokes cigars and loves his pipe. His life has involved a lot of food and wine. He makes at least some of his living encouraging the consumption of the demon drink. "People should drink early, often and widely" he advises "a bit like the Labor party, vote early and vote often". Oh dear, now the permanently outraged lefties are after him.  Add to that all the wine makers who's efforts have been awarded a 'broken bottle*'. Yes, there is a lot to 'disapprove of' about Graeme.

Graeme Phillips

I, on the other hand, approve of him immensely. He found time for a chat and even rescheduled another appointment when it went longer than planned. He provided some very useful advice on my writing and gave me a chance to try the 2008 Stefano Lubiana pinot. He has also contributed an enormous amount to the Tasmanian and wider Australian wine industry over the years. Yes, there is a lot to 'approve of' about Graeme.

So what's behind the anti-finger wagger and inventor of the broken bottle?.

Graeme was born and lived his early life around the Gold Coast and from his description it was a lovely area before it was 'developed'. "Wonderful sand and surf ... fabulous childhood. I grew up barefoot, no one wore shoes until they went to high school" he reminisced. His exposure to the food industry began very early in life. "My first job was delivering orders for a butcher shop to all the old dairy and banana farms". This was followed by a stint in a "Greek Milk Bar" during his years at school.

A job with the Australian Government took Graeme overseas for some years. During this time he honed his writing abilities and continued his love affair with food and wine. Returning home he discovered that he couldn't stand the white shoe brigade who had discovered the Gold Coast. He also noticed that the weather was no longer to his liking. "I moved to Tassie for the climate as much as anything else". 

The live review

The 'anything else' included buying Prospect House on the outskirts of Richmond. Graeme owned this gourmet restaurant and accommodation business throughout the 1980's. It turns out that I was a frequent customer. At that time Prospect House was the place to take a young lady if you wanted to impress her. What little success I had with the fairer sex at that time was in no small way due to Graeme's culinary abilities. 

Graeme, like a number of other people I have met, didn't let the fact that he had no restaurant experience stop him from buying one. He was lucky that he knew a very experienced chef who was able to spend some time teaching him to cook. "It was a total bloody failure" Graeme laughs "I loved the food he cooked but he couldn't show me how to cook the food I wanted". "But I will be forever grateful ... he talked me through running service". Despite the garbage bags that filled with what Graeme describes as his 'errors' Prospect House was a very successful business.

He then went on to own another well known eatery, the Battery Point Brasserie, and it was at this time that he was approached to write a newsletter by a friend. "Somehow this ended up on the editor's desk of the Mercury and he asked me if I'd thought about wine writing". Soon after he started the food and wine column for the Sunday Tasmanian. He must be doing something right because roughly 12 years later he is still at it. 

So Graeme has practical experience on which to base his opinions as well as possessing that most treasured characteristic of the successful writer, survival. Many people who have writing aspirations don't get paid and don't last. Graeme has done both. He has also produced a number of books and of late produced material for the recently released Tasmanian Gastronomy Map.

Selling the food and
wine map

Despite all this he is remarkably modest. "I am a punter too" He says. "I read some food writers and I think, I wish I could write like that, some of them are magical". He believes he writes 'fairly straight forward stuff'. While he believes it has gotten easier over the years initially he did need some editorial help. Apparently he had to learn how to say 'this food is s#@t' in a more sophisticated manner. He also put paid to the rumour that you have to sell your soul if you work for the 'evil' Murdoch press. "They let me write about whatever I want" he said.

Given how long he has been involved I was curious to know if he thought wine writing had changed over the years. "It's less intimidating and much more accessible to the general readership" he replied. This he believes is a great improvement over the past where writers seemed to be only interested in wine officianados.

Touching on the mechanics of writing I was relieved to hear Graeme admit that, except for the odd purple patch, he too has to work hard at times to produce anything worthwhile. "You walk around, go annoy the wife and walk around some more" he laughs. "The key to putting something down is getting the first sentence". 

I couldn't let the chance go without asking Graeme for his opinion on the role of a wine writer. Should a writer be 'feared' like the guy off 'The Gourmet Farmer'? "Absolutely not!". But Graeme does believe that writers have a role to play in stopping the industry making mistakes. He laments the trend that has seen some Australian wines become syrupy monsters and believes that writers have been complicit in the resultant problems because they didn't criticise the ever increasing alcohol levels. 

Graeme pointed out that people who lack confidence will look for guidance. "Its a shame that people don't trust their own palates" he complained. But since people do then it is important for writers to encourage people to drink widely. He also recommends that writers give honest opinions whether positive or not. His rationale is that there is so much choice that it's as important for people to know what 'not to drink' as it is knowing what to drink.  

pinot V shriaz

To finish off the conversation we tasted the 2008 Stefano Lubiana pinot and the Baritone Maxim 1000 cabernet shiraz. It was fascinating to hear what each of us regarded as important or memorable in these two very different wines. We both agreed that the Lubiana was fantastic, as you would expect. For the record we both think the Lubiana should be cellared for a couple of years but if you are into light, acidic pinots then by all means drink it now. On the Baritone however we agreed to disagree. I liked it's jammy cuddly demeanor but Graeme was gearing up to give it a 'broken bottle'. Quite why we used different types of massages as an analogy I couldn't say but it did make for an interesting podcast.

Being a writer is, of necessity, a solitary undertaking so it was a real pleasure to be able to talk about it with someone like Graeme.  Like him or loath him he has the runs on the board and I think my writing will be better for the experience. 

* The broken bottle is the lowest 'score' in Graeme's award system and means he doesn't approve of that wine.

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