AMILY definitely comes first in the Casella clan - and that strong sense of kinship has proven a recipe for success for the family business, Casella Wines. Fillipo and Maria Casella emigrated to Australia from Italy in the 1950s with a passion for grapegrowing and winemaking fuelled by three generations before them. They settled in the Riverina town of Yenda in 1965, and Fillipo initially sold the grapes from his farm to local wineries before turning his own hand to winemaking in 1969.
Today, Casella Wines is run by the couple's three sons, John, Joe and Marcello - with John as managing director/winemaker. John studied oenology at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga before joining Riverina Estate Wines, where he worked for about 12 years, fine-tuning his skills in winemaking and winery management. While he remained involved with Casella Wines during that period, it wasn't until 1994 that he took on a full-time role with the family winery as managing director.
From fairly humble beginnings, Casella Wines has achieved phenomenal results domestically and overseas. Success in the competitive export market was spearheaded in mid-2000 with the company's yellow tail brand. Currently exported to more than 40 countries, yellow tail has become the most successful brand in the history of the Australian wine industry. Earlier this year, in its report, the Power 100, independent UK consultancy Intangible Business named yellow tail as the most powerful family-owned wine brand in Australia and the fifth most significant brand globally.
Can you recall your earliest wine experience? If so, describe it.
I would have been about four or five and I remember tasting this locally made wine which was just horrible. It had this character which seemed to run through a lot of wines made in the '60s and '70s. I'm not sure what that particular character was - and whether it was the result of the winemaking process or the way they stored the wine - but it was awful and I remember thinking later that if I was ever to make my own wine I was going to make sure it didn't taste like that! I guess that first experience of wine - apart from the wine my parents made - was fairly important in tailoring yellow tail 30 or 40 years after. Because I knew that with any wine that I ever put together afterwards, I didn't want to have those harsh tannins or that aftertaste.
What's the best aspect of working so closely with your siblings?
You always have family around you … you share one view as far as the future goes and the ways things should be done in the business. With family you can bounce ideas off them as well and if you have a disagreement it's generally all over by the next morning, when you're sitting around together sharing a coffee at your parents' place!
To date, what do you rate as the biggest achievement for Casella Wines?
Launching yellow tail and the success that came with that was obviously for us an outstanding and satisfying achievement. But more than that would be the fact that we were able to grow a $20 million a year business into a $380 million business (2007 turnover) in the space of about seven years and not have to go public and not have to take equity partners. So it wasn't just the success that that one brand bought but more the management of both the supply and the finances. We were able to grow it while the industry looked on and said, "How are you going to do it?" and "They'll never manage". Now we're at the point where we're the biggest family-owned wine company; we're 100 per cent family-owned and we didn't have to compromise the quality or style of the product or the ownership of the winery. To me that's the most outstanding thing.
How would you describe your own wine collection?
Well, I have a cellar underneath my house, which we moved into about two or three years ago, but I just haven't had the time to really build it up yet. On a day-to-day basis I guess we just tend to drink the wines that we make - which are readily available - and I certainly like to enjoy a few of those with my dad.
What's your favourite wine accessory?
There's no one particular item I always use, but I can tell you that I have managed to plant a corkscrew in every car and every conceivable nook and cranny I can think of around the premises - because I hate looking for them!
Have your wine tastes changed over the years?
I remember when I first started college how enjoyable I found the chardonnays at that time. But now I'm most fond of the big, rich reds - which at that earlier time in my life were fairly foreign and hard to deal with. As your palate develops I think it goes from enjoying the sweeter whites to the dry whites and then onto the reds - the lighter ones first and then finally the heavier reds.
Where is the most unusual place you have consumed wine?
Probably the most interesting place would have to be while I was up on one of the Mt Etna lava flows in Sicily. My grandparents are from the area around Mt Etna originally.
With your winemaker's hat on, which aspect of producing a wine brings you the most enjoyment?
For me I've always loved processing the grapes - taking those red or white berries and turning them into a magnificent product that you can enjoy immensely, whether it's one week after you've crushed those grapes or 100 years later. It's a magical process.
What do you think is the best way of teaching wine appreciation?
I have four children - two of each. The older girl and the younger boy both like the taste of wine but the other two won't touch it. I think the important thing, though, is that we give them the opportunity to appreciate the different flavours that wine has and how those flavours can complement a meal.
Does the Casella family honour any 'traditions' in relation to Christmas Day festivities and do any of those relate to the wines consumed on the day?
We always have lunch together on Christmas Day as a family - and sometimes even dinner as well! The tradition has always been to have wine on the table. I remember when I was younger being asked to go out to the old winery - which is a couple of concrete tanks - and collect a few bottles from inside the tanks or pick up something my father had put aside, so there was always something good to drink with the meal. Those concrete tanks were sealed with a type of wax - a paraffin/beeswax mix - and I remember breaking the seals and having to siphon these bottles out of the tanks. At Christmas time I always remember the flavour and the aromas that were part of gathering that wine in the early days.
What is the family's vision for the future of Casella Wines?
We've done more than what probably any wine company in the world has done in the last 10 years. Our vision is to consolidate and keep building on the success that we have had. It's not just about line extension; it's about giving the consumer a better product where it's possible, working closer with growers and building our relationships with our importers and distributors. I guess it's really about continuing the hard work that was started by my parents, continuing it through my generation and encouraging the interest and participation of the next generation. So it's about more than wine or winemaking. It's about keeping family together, working together and giving the world something that nobody else is - and that's value-for-money wines from a place that is relatively insignificant in world terms.