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<pre>--- In OliveOil@y..., Antony Whiting <zeytingul@y...> wrote:
> --- Mike Wilson <mike.wilson@h...>
> wrote: >
> >
> > > Andrew
> > > The best analogy I can use is our local Hunter
> > Valley wine industry.
> > > Individual 'hands on' growers do well, I can think
> > of one in particular
> > > who is picking up many awards and has presold most
> > of his product after
> > > years of struggle. These growers hand pick the
> > fruit and process
> > > carefully, another grower inspects each bunch
> > prior to pressing. They
> > > are not threatened by cask wine or supermaket
> > lines and there is a
> > > growing demand for their product. It is this
> > obvious personal attention
> > > to detail that gives them the edge, something that
> > is appreciated by the
> > > consumer and cannot be duplicated by the large
> > concerns. I dont think
> > > that small growers producing their own product
> > have anything to fear
> > > from the large producers unless they are
> > contracted as suppliers to
> > > those businesses. This could mean that there will
> > be a proliferation of
> > > small mills with plenty of variety of product to
> > interest the consumer.
> >
> > Roger,
> >
> > To take your analogy one step further, ask yourself
> > who produces the top
> > wines in Australia. I doubt that many would argue
> > that wines such as
> > Penforld's Grange, Rosemount Roxburgh Chardonnay,
> > etc ate the top of the
> > line, and produced by the biggest companies.
> >
> > With a huge operation, there is bound to be more
> > resources to draw on, more
> > potential to produce excellence. It doesn't
> > automatically mean that big
> > means bland.
> >
> > Smaller growers may only have one batch of fruit to
> > process, so their
> > eventual oil quality may well not be reliable.
> >
> > Mike Wilson.
> >
> >Surely this is a simplistic argument.


Fantasitic response, Anthony. You said everthing I was thinking.

The example of Penfolds being held up as mass producers who make a
superb wine,ie. therefore all their wines are fantastic, is terribly
flawed.

Small producers whose goals are to produce high quality oils are
invariably driven by the need to make the best possible oil they can.
And that's what drives a national reputation, not large scale
producers who work to price points.

And above all, let's not forget that the nature of a great oil or
wine is based on seasonal and environmental variance, not on some
inane market driven notion of compliance to a "standard".



>
> Great wine and great olive oil is first and foremost
> made from great fruit. The fruit and the product is
> distinctive in the market place because of the
> terroir; that is the regional characteristics such as
> soil, climate, rainfall etc. The product is further
> distinguished by its mode of production. Different
> components are assembled and treated in different ways
> to provide complexity and to develop the intensity of
> characteristics identified in the fruit.And of course
> the product is positioned in the market place with a
> commodity value which may represent the advertising
> dollar more than the quality of the product itself.
> Certainly the large wineries have much greater
> economic capital than the small producers and hence a
> much greater capacity (and volume) to sell their
> product. There are very few bad wines ( ie faulty
> wines) made in Australia today. There are many
> different qualities and price points available, just
> as one would expect with olive oil.
>
> Any producer, large or small with access to premium
> fruit, appropriate equipment and creative and
> technical skills is capable of producing great wine or
> olive oil.Large producers produce many different
> products, including 'hands on', cutting edge attention
> to detail super premium products and large volume
> every day consumption products. The point of
> contention that concerns us all is in the equation
> between creative, quality interests versus the need
> for financial return and accountability. Size is not
> the issue! Quality will always be represented by
> different niche markets and different socially
> constructed perceptions of quality and value.
>
>
>
> Antony Whiting
> First Creek
> Waterfall Gully
> South Australia.

Fantastic post!

Where can I buy your oils?...


Nick Andrews
Ellengrove
</pre>
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