Richard Riddiford should need no introduction. As one of the town fathers of the Martinborough wine region and certainly one of the very astute readers of the industry, he has managed to keep Palliser Estate at the forefront of quality, getting it right for the consumer and the hospitality trade alike.
Recently inducted into the wine “Hall of Fame” at a ceremony at the 2010 Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, Richard was added to a list of people who have been recognised for their significant contributions to the New Zealand wine industry in terms of development and enhancement, both domestically and with an export focus.
Richard has been the managing director of Palliser Estate since 1988, and while the success of this company is certainly attributable to his good judgement, he is also very quick to acknowledge the successes as being a team effort and a tribute to the talents of winemaker Alan Johnson.
In 1992, Richard became the inaugural chair of the Toast Martinborough Festival until 1999. He remains as a Director on the board today. He served on the board at the Wine Institute of New Zealand from 2000-2004 and was a foundation member on the board of New Zealand Winegrowers. Richard also chaired the board for Pinot Noir 2001 and Pinot Noir 2004, a conference of significant benefit to the New Zealand wine industry, with international recognition.
Always understanding the importance of export to the New Zealand wine industry and particularly for the Martinborough region, he has focussed on taking Palliser and New Zealand wines to the world. In 2004, Palliser won the trophy as Food and Beverage Exporters of the Year in the annual Trade New Zealand national export awards.
Often pertinacious, he can disarm you with a grin that suggests a wicked sense of humour. That humour is often displayed in speeches where a one-liner leaves guests roaring with laughter – usually about something that few otherpeople can get away with delivering on stage.
Though many people have kept this wine and farming village on the map, and there are lots of colourful characters, Richard is possibly notable as the grumpiest! With a tenacious approach to issues of importance to the community, it is no surprise Richard is an integral part of the recent PURE Martinborough campaign, a group set up to oppose the wind farm scoped for the Martinborough hills.
“The wind farm proposal goes against every value and principle we have worked towards. It is visibly grotesque and culturally offensive. We want Meridian to use a site that is more respectful of our Maori and Pakeha history,” Richard said.
Our wine industry both locally and nationally is undergoing a significant change in its history. Globally there are new wine regions grabbing attention such as Chile, Argentina and China, plus the old ones are starting to make a comeback such as Hungary and Austria. Combined with a well publicised international wine ‘glut’ and the consequential plummeting of price per bottle, how will New Zealand fare in keeping its place in the global market?
As consumers we are all aware of the significant price change downwards for wine. Many wineries are opting to run eternal ‘specials’, while others have moved their price down to meet the market.
Richard has experienced the changing industry through its developmental phases and managed to steer Palliser unscathed and debt free through previously rocky times. This places him in a good position to speculate on how the wine community will fare in the future.
“Price is a function of supply and demand, add a global surplus of wine, throw currency into the mix and it compounds New Zealand’s situation globally. Locally we can’t sit here and pretend we are immune. Until the surplus is addressed the industry will continue to be characterised by high debt. In this market no brand is exempt.”
“Sustainability in these times is the ability to meet the market at the price point, which seems to be going down almost daily. This is likely to continue for at least another year,” says Riddiford.
With all the admirable achievements, Richard is however someone who demonstrates it’s the little things that count and one of the most important tasks in a day is to open the company mail, in convivial surroundings with good coffee at the local cafe. A global citizen that acts local.
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