A new brewery has been proposed on the property immediately north of Cullen Wines, run with great aplomb by Vanya Cullen, daughter of the founder and a pioneer of environmental awareness and biodynamic viticulture in Australia. Vanya is very concerned that yeast cells from the brewery will escape and contaminate the wild yeasts in their vineyard that are so vital to the character and quality of Cullen wines. The potential risks have apparently been confirmed by a report from the highly regarded Australian Wine Research Institute.
This not been an issue in the past because most wine producers have used selected, cultured yeasts but Vanya's point is that now that Australian wineries are being encouraged to strive for quality and individuality, more and more producers are likely to be turning to the ambient yeasts present in the atmosphere to maximise the influence of local conditions, so that this particular battle needs to be fought and won on behalf of the very future of Australian wine. She is calling on government and the planning authorities to act on this to protect and support the Australian wine industry.
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