{"id":7382,"date":"2022-12-18T06:34:31","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T17:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=7382"},"modified":"2022-12-18T06:34:31","modified_gmt":"2022-12-17T17:34:31","slug":"a-chat-with-leon-hill-of-organic-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=7382","title":{"rendered":"A chat with Leon Hill of Organic Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I bumped into the bundle of energy that is Leon Hill<\/b> at the South Australian Showcase – \u2018Ruled by Flavour\u2019 in Auckland recently. Then there he was again in the South Australia section at Winetopia (Organic Hill is based in McLaren Vale) – where he was the hardest working stallholder in show. I\u2019d heard his story then, but it bears repeating for those who haven\u2019t heard it. His label – Organic Hill<\/b> – is fervently preservative-free, but I asked Leon first about the name Organic Hill and what that entailed\u2026<\/p>

Leon Hill<\/b>: There\u2019s two different bodies ACO and NASA. One, I find, is the engine room of the majority of organics – which is ACO; and then you\u2019ve got NASA, and I think they\u2019re a lot harder and more strict than ACO. I\u2019ve chosen to go and work with that. It is more difficult to get it done because it is an accreditation that\u2019s highly regarded. When I went to China back in 2018, they were \u201cOh you\u2019re NASA, that\u2019s awesome\u201d, so they rated it higher. I know that Temple Brewer and D\u2019Arenberg are NASA. A few that are coming into it and they\u2019re premium, and choosing their top end ranges. They\u2019re the ones that are getting into it.<\/p>

You know my story – started off with what I thought was a gluten intolerance back in 2006 – self-diagnosed – and started eating things like gluten-free breads, which back then were really bad. I tested myself for irritable bowel, and I wasn\u2019t. So I cut gluten out – went gluten-free, and then you have a Friday night with a beer and a pizza. Then Saturday mornings you\u2019d wake up feeling yuck, just disgusting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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I then met this italian pizza guy and he said to me \u201cLeon, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s this at all. I reckon it is preservatives, and the flour you\u2019ve been having is Australian flour. They\u2019re not doing ten tonnes to the acre, it\u2019s all fifty tonnes to the acre\u2026 and getting these numbers because of Round-Up. That increases yields but is basically heavily poisonous. Try this italian flour\u201d And I\u2019m like \u2018whatever!\u2019 But then I had the pizza, and I was \u201coh, this is fine – give me another slice\u2019. Because I can eat pizza and as it hits my guts – within two minutes – I feel like I want to chuck it all up.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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And, I mean the Italian style isn\u2019t like baking a cake where it\u2019s two fingers thick. It\u2019s fingernail thin, and the ham is sliced thin, the sauce is thin, and it\u2019s cooked for ninety seconds. So, hey I had the whole pizza, and no dramas. And that\u2019s how I came across it – it actually wasn\u2019t gluten – it was the preservative. It was a revelation – to the extent that I chose to implement that into my whole wine brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Initially it went on deaf ears. No-one was making it, and you have some trial and errors. We\u2019ve done some amazing wines, and some less so. More amazing ones than not. The crap ones oxidise fast. It\u2019s funny – we\u2019ve got this lady in the States and she orders ten dozen every three months! Sauvignon Blanc – she loves it because it tastes like a dirty martini. And I\u2019m like \u2018that\u2019s not the description of a Sauvignon Blanc at all\u2019. So what do I know?! I\u2019ve been in the wine industry for 25 years, and this one baffles me. So I ask her if she wants the other 1000 cases I\u2019ve got!? hahaha<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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WineFolio<\/b>: I think I\u2019ve used root beer and negroni in descriptions for wines recently; but \u2018dirty martini\u2019 hasn\u2019t made it into my vocabulary yet.<\/p>

LH<\/b>: Then you get people who say \u2018I want it to taste like this..\u2019 This is the problem. Sauvignon Blanc is never really going to be preservative-free. \u2018Well I want preservative-free\u2019 – yeah, I want a winning lottery ticket. But it is what it is. I keep coming back to the same old problem. I\u2019ve got to create another one and it\u2019s going to smell like cat\u2019s pee – but people love it! hahaha<\/p>

WF<\/b>: Are they just buying your wines because it is preservative-free, or is there more to it than that?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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LH<\/b>: They\u2019re buying it because it tastes good. But I think they buy the white wines more, because it is preservative-free. I say to people \u201cHave you ever woken up after you\u2019d drunk that bottle of $8.99 wine you bought from Woolworths or Aldi – and you thought it was delicious at the time\u2026 now a good winemaker can make cheap wine taste good, but to do that they\u2019ve added preservatives\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Now, I never promote my wine along the lines of \u201cOh it\u2019s preservative-free – I can drink as much as I want and never get a headache\u201d because alcohol is still alcohol\u2026 so – No, you can\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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It is such an amazing story and the USP of my brand is preservative-free. But as much as I want to push that, some people will want organic wines and just low-preservative.<\/p>

WF<\/b>: And organic wine here in New Zealand – I\u2019m not sure how it is understood – if it makes much of a difference in sales? It starting off being seen as a bit of a \u2018green-hippy thing\u2019 and then when it became more prevalent, that it could be a bit cynical – just a marketing buzzword? Yet I assume that organic – and certainly preservative-free – costs more to make?<\/p>

LH<\/b>: It does. You\u2019ve got to pay for certification, and the preservative-free production in order to maintain it. It probably adds 20% more in costs, as well as having someone that does all my paperwork. I have to get certificates from the truck company, the grape growers, soil sampling.. but you can charge more for your product. Our entry level sits in that $20-25 range. And our McLaren Vale which is $40-50. And a premium that sits in the $90. And a Super-Premium that is $180. That\u2019s my founding forefather – Sir John Hill. Look up JohnHillwines.com.au.<\/p>

WF<\/b>: I looked up Clem Hill. I\u2019m not much of a cricket buff, but he sounds impressive.<\/p>

LH<\/b>: He\u2019s my Great-Grandfathers brother. I\u2019m furious at the cricket at the moment. Why the heck is David Warner still playing? He\u2019s been crap for three years. But he\u2019s from Sydney. Favoured pet, and his wife works for Channel 9. And he scores like – 3, or 2 – but then against Bangladesh or Afghanistan he makes a hundred. You could play against the left-handed Vietnamese Mah Jong and beat them, hahaha.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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WF<\/b>: Was there anything from New Zealand that you liked whilst you were here?<\/p>

LH<\/b>: I didn\u2019t really get much of a chance. I had one – was it No.1?<\/p>

WF<\/b>: Sparkling? Yes – and they\u2019ve got a great story behind that. I love stories – for me it makes the difference. Their family is literally from the Champagne region in France.<\/p>

LH<\/b>: Yes, I didn\u2019t get the chance to go back, and we were going to go out to dinner. That was interesting. I like that history. We had some synergy. The fact that John Hill is from 1836.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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WF<\/b>: Good on you for finding them. Although to be fair, they were the first stand as you went in to Winetopia, so I hope you ventured a little deeper in?<\/p>

LH<\/b>: No I was too busy downstairs. I had three wines on tasting every day, so I was probably one of the busiest in that South Australian section. I was busy non-stop. I did comment that there\u2019s some old hat there. You see some of them who just sit there and don\u2019t even engage with people. I was out and about on the other side of my counter. And give them a taste for free – I know they\u2019re supposed to pay with little tokens.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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And I also see some people aren\u2019t telling people about the organic grapes they\u2019re using. I say own it, be proud of it\u2026 I\u2019ve called myself \u2018Organic Hill\u2019. I was watching \u2018Shark Tank\u2019, and there was a guy from Hill Science who had a range of dog food called \u2018Hill\u2019s Organic\u2019. And for me it was a lightbulb moment – Organic Hill!! So I put it through the trademarking.<\/p>

WF<\/b>: There are some companies here that are fully organic and they don\u2019t make any noise about it. Sometimes it\u2019s not even on the label – certainly not on the front label. So, do people understand that it makes a difference? Are people looking for organic wine, or does it not influence their buying decisions? Also, at the Expo, I perceived a move towards a lighter style of wines? In things like Grenache for example.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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LH<\/b>: There\u2019s not enough Grenache though. It\u2019s a good stepping stone with some of the Pinots, into red wines. You\u2019ve got to have your \u2018new age wines\u2019. I think I have a product that is very fresh, with delicious fruit and nothing aged – it\u2019s not been in a barrel for two years. It\u2019s an expression of fruit. And that\u2019s what people are wanting. We\u2019re here to drink it now. And you\u2019ve got to get your head around that – this is the future. It\u2019s like Pepsi said – the taste of a new generation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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And with Organic Hill I can get the best of the best from wherever. Some like Chester from D\u2019Arenberg is my cousin\u2019s ex-husband, so they\u2019re just as good as family. And they\u2019re only 800 metres away from my vineyard. We\u2019ve got our vineyards but we live in Adelaide – I need to be near the airport not the vineyard.<\/p>

WF<\/b>: D\u2019Arenberg have some weird and wonderful varietals that aren\u2019t being produced here in New Zealand – like Mencia or Nero d\u2019Avola. And there is talk in New Zealand along the lines of \u2018what are we going to be doing next?\u2019 Not just climate change, but at some point the world could fall out of love with Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.<\/p>

LH<\/b>: It\u2019s got to be the right varietal for the region you\u2019re in. You could make some Fiano or Mencia. I just came back from Texas and you realise that there are other parts of the world growing the same varieties – but they\u2019re not near the ocean and they\u2019re not like the Rhone Valley, but the way the wine is being made is quite delicious. Fredericksburg was the best example in Texas. Went to a couple of wineries and it was delicious. They made Grenache, Mourvedre, and they made Shiraz and Mencia and had some Cabernet. And I was like \u201cIn Texas!! Wow.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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WF<\/b>: How was the food? If I went to Texas my primary interest would be filling my stomach with food.<\/p>

LH<\/b>: Do you remember the movie \u2018Meet the Fockers\u2019 and they always went to Chewychangas to eat? I went there. They had fajitas and soft-shell tacos which were amazing. Our tacos in Australia are crap. The meat is turned into mince rather than being meat. It should be shredded beef, not actually minced meat. In Barossa our food, or produce is great, but the soil is different. You might have a Cellar door in Barossa but it doesn\u2019t mean they are making the product there. But if you go over to Adelaide Hills, there are cows and they\u2019re making milk and cheese. Same in the Hunter – they put in these makeshift Cellar doors and 90% of the grapes aren\u2019t from the Hunter. They\u2019re from Orange or Mudjee. But your tourist buses turn up and because they\u2019ve put in twenty rows in front of the Cellar Door..they think it\u2019s all there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

I\u2019m not saying that Barossa is exactly like that. They\u2019re very Old World. My grandfather loved it and my parents love it. But the generation under me are looking for different stuff. Something like Clare Valley is still pushing riesling, and it has got so old that new people don\u2019t even know it as a variety! I know it as my Grandma\u2019s wine, but it\u2019s been around so long that now it\u2019s cool again. Pinot Gris was Pinot Grigio because all the old italians did it, and now it has come back to fruition in the last five to ten years and people love it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I bumped into the bundle of energy that is Leon Hill at the South Australian Showcase – \u2018Ruled by Flavour\u2019 in Auckland recently. 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