One of the most renowned names not only in Australia, but in the global wine business is Hardys, a wine legacy dating back to over 150 years ago. It was therefore an honor to be invited by PR professional Nana Nadal and Future Trade Inc., the proud exclusive distributor of Hardys in the Philippines, to meet and have lunch with William David Hardy or Bill Hardy for short. Bill Hardy is a direct descendant and is the great great grandson (fifth generation) of Thomas Hardy, who started Thomas Hardy & Sons Ltd. in 1853 and was recognized as the pioneer of the Australian wine industry.
Bill Hardy is currently the Hardys brand ambassador. Hardys is the leading Australian wine brand in the country, cornering over 40 percent of all Australian wine sales in the Philippines.
Despite his stature, Bill Hardy is a very humble guy, with a cheerful and very affable disposition. Now, in his late 50s, Bill spoke with a lot of pride of his family and the wines that carry their prestigious name. Bill was a graduate of Bachelor of Agriculture Science from the University of Adelaide. He furthered his studies by finishing an Oenology diploma course at the University of Bordeaux in France, and had valuable stints at first growth Chateau Haut Brion, and Chateau Bouscaut, both in Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux, before rejoining the family business in 1973.
In my candid chat with Bill, I asked about Hardys evolution from a modest family company started by the legendary Thomas Hardy to becoming part of the world’s largest wine conglomerate, Constellation Wines International. In 1992, Thomas Hardy & Sons merged with the Berri Renmano Limited to become BRL Hardys. Renmano was then known more for producing bulk and cask wines, which was vastly different from Thomas Hardy & Son’s reputation for premium wines. But according to Bill, the merger was out of financial reasons, though the Hardy family still kept a sizeable 20- percent share after the company went public. Briefly I noticed Bill reflecting pensively on the past. Bill admitted that it was a devastating period for the family when they lost total grip of a company that was built from scratch by Thomas Hardy. However, things moved on positively, and the BRL Hardy merger was able to continue what Bill’s father, also named Thomas Hardy IV (the fourth) was doing, which was acquiring more vineyards from some of Australia’s best wine-growing regions. In 2003, BRL Hardy was absorbed into New York- based Constellation Brands Inc., to become the world’s largest wine company. I asked Bill how this second merger or integration affected Hardys. “BRL Hardy was already a hugely profitable company, so Constellation allowed us a lot of leeway to do what we do best. But shareholders [of BRL Hardys] were extremely happy with the generous offer of Constellation,” said Bill. There is however more pressure now on the Hardys to deliver volumes especially after Constellation unloaded big-volume Californian generic wines Inglenook and Almaden to The Wine Group early last year.
While Bill and the Hardys wine group will feel the pressure, to me as an observer, the move of Constellation is also the ultimate show of confidence the company has on the huge upside of Hardys.
Hardys is probably the only wine brand that can sell successfully on every price range starting from around $6/bottle for their market-leading VR label to in excess of $100/bottle for the highly-awarded Eileen Hardy wine.
Bill Hardy is still and will always be a winemaker at heart. When asked what is his dream wine to do, Bill was quick to say “I really wanted to do a botrytized wine, similar to those done in French wine regions of Barsac and Sauternes, using the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc varietals.” Botrytized wine comes from the Botrytis Cinea fungus or jargonally known as the noble rot, that molds on the grape skin but adds a luscious “honeyed” element to the wine. In the 1980s, Bill recalled making a botrytized wine from Riesling. It is a more Germanic style which was appropriately called Hardy Collection Beerenauslese. Beerenauslese happens to be a wine classification exclusively used by German wines. But in 1980s, just like how Gallo would call their red wine, Burgundy and white wine, Chablis, this classification was allowed. The wine was very successful and Bill noted that his 1985 vintage was an excellent wine. Still Bill wanted a botrytized wine that is from Bordeaux varietals Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, as he feels that these varietals can manifest a better style, making for a leaner and more “lemoney” dessert version, than the usual more hefty, almost cloying types we get from many Australian botrytized wines. At the moment, Bill has no direct winemaking responsibility with the company, but he still does get to contribute through his family’s own vineyards in McLaren Vale, where many of the most notable premium Hardys wines get their juices from. During harvest time, Bill is always excited to taste the juices from their vineyards, which contain some of the oldest vines in all of Australia.
The Hardys lunch event was not only to introduce Bill Hardy to members of the press, but also to serve as launching pad for the latest Hardys product extension, the Hardys Reserve Bin or simply the HRB series. The HRB, according to Future Trade Inc., will be available in the Philippines soon, but in very limited quantity. Estimated retail price according to Erik Khan, marketing manager, is above P1,000/bottle but below P2,000/bottle. The HRB series is in keeping with the tradition of the Hardy family of making great wines, and Bill was extremely proud in explaining these wines to the attendees of the event. The HRB is the true manifestation of Hardys excellence in blending of juices from different wine regions, resulting in wines that are artistically crafted and uniquely flavorful. Every vintage year, the blends on the HRB wines may vary depending on what region can deliver the flavor Hardys winemakers are looking for. This according to Bill is what winemakers live for, creating wines they love from the best resources available to them... and Hardys own all these wonderful wine regions that offer infinite possibilities for winemakers.
Here below were my tasting notes on the wines tasted during the Hardys lunch at the Oak Room in the new Oakwood Hotel, Mandaluyong City:
Hardys Stamp of Australia Riesling Gewurztraminer 2006—“Nice nose of lychees, longan and other tropical fruits, semi dry, friendly acid, sweet and crisp on the finish”; this unusual blend of Riesling and Gewurztraminer varietals is simple, yet very clean and palatable even if it is of an older vintage, a good buy at P350/bottle.
Hardys Nottage Hill Chardonnay 2008 —“Fresh nose, citrusy, lemoney, dry with some slight stemminess on the palate, long with a bit of leafiness at end.”
Hardys Nottage Hill Shiraz 2007—“Warm fruit nose, berry pie crust, nice bouquet, some vanilla, semi dry, good grainey texture, long and elegant on the finish”; I have to admit that this is my first time to try the Nottage Hill Shiraz despite its huge commercial success in the country, and I really enjoyed it; a great bargain for a wine less than P450/bottle.
HRB D638 Chardonnay 2007—“Subtle nose of lemon, peach, nectarine, butter and vanilla, very complex, nice tangy taste, dry with ripe fruity acids, citrusy, and long minerally finish”; this wine was made mainly from both Margaret River in Western Australia, and Adelaide Hills of South Australia—very French “Chablis Cru” like and with so much depth; this is really to me the undisputed star wine of our lunch.
HRB D636 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006— “Nose of mocha, graham cracker, cinnamon, dark berries, vanilla, dry, full-bodied, with licorice-like taste, noticeable tannins, long, with coffee latte-like finish”; this wine came from 90-percent Coonawara in South Australia, and 10 percent from Margaret River; this wine is very bold and needs be decanted before drinking; though all signs lead to excellent potential for aging.
While most wineries are gearing toward single vineyard, single estate wines to market their most expensive wines, Hardys is looking the other way. Even if wines blended from different wine regions are not given a demarcated Geographic Indication (G.I.) classification, especially important for established and marketable G.I.s like Barossa, Coonawara, Yarra, Hunter Valley, etc., Hardys has proven that it can make as good, if not better wines, by blending juices from the different G.I.s, and still be successful commercially. And Bill Hardy is the best ambassador to carry this message.
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Hardys wines can be found in all SM and other leading supermarkets nationwide. You may also contact Future Trade Inc. at (02)556-8726. For wine consultancy, wine seminars, inquiries, comments or wine events coverage, please e-mail me at protegeinc@yahoo.com.
