Winemakers

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Alister Purbick

Tahbilk Group
Chief Executive, Alister Purbrick
Business established: Winery established
1860, 5th generation
Region: Central Victoria
No. of employees: 200
Annual tonnage: Over 10,000
Hectares: 550
Varieties grown: All

'Our group comprises 14 operating companies which are involved in bottling, winemaking, sales, tourism and Australian market distribution, with a turn over of approximately $80 million.

Currently our industry operates in the most competitive environment in its history, with a number of factors outside its control impacting on individual company profitability, such as:

• The effect of the strong Australian dollar on export margins and sales
• Nature-driven events over the past five years (frost, hail, drought, fire and floods) negatively impacting on vineyard yields
• The impact of New Zealand wine imports in the Australian market, which receive the WET rebate on their Australian sales.

Any change to the tax regime will have a destabilising and devastating effect on the
entire industry as it continues the dramatic restructuring and downsizing of the past
few years. A change to the tax regime would also lead to decreased profitability and staff redundancies for our companies, with particular impact on our contract packaging and winemaking operations.'

Greg Silkman

First Creek Wines
Winemaker, Greg Silkman
Business established: 1984
Region: Hunter Valley, NSW
No. of employees: 60
Annual tonnage: 2500
Varieties made: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Shiraz, Verdelho, Voignier.

'First Creek Wines has a highly acclaimed team of winemakers. Given this level of experience and talent, our winemaking service has become the first choice for 25 companies, and our premium bottling service for more than 100 companies. A volumetric tax will have significant cash flow implications for wineries and will create additional paperwork and increased compliance costs. This will especially affect the smaller boutique producers, with the potential to force many of these businesses to close.'

Mitchell Taylor

Taylors Wines
Winemaker/ Managing Director,
Mitchell Taylor
Business established: 1969, 3rd generation
Region: Clare Valley, SA
No. of employees: 150
Annual tonnage: 7000
Hectares: 750
Varieties grown: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Semillon, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Viognier

'We are a third-generation winemaking family, with a philosophy that ‘the wine is everything.' This philosophy has produced a range of fine wines which regularly receive awards and accolades in Australia and on the highly competitive world stage. Since our debut vintage of 1973, we have won more than 2000 medals and awards internationally. Australia is the highest taxed wine producing nation in the world.

A volumetric tax will make it more difficult to compete globally in the international
markets. A volumetric tax will damage exports and an export industry already suffering from a global financial crisis and a record high Australian dollar.'