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34 | OUR STORY: BALNAVE

large exposure to China with their overseas sales
focused on South Korea, the United Kingdom,
Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States.
Cabernet Sauvignon remains their biggest seller,
which they see continuing with Coonawarra
known the world over for its Cabernet.
“It performs well in our cool climate environment,
especially in the more challenging years,” Pete
said.
Community involvment

Getting involved in community and industry
organisations is something that Pete and Kirsty
inherited from their parents.
Doug has been on many boards during his
career, including the Limestone Coast Wine
Industry Council, the Phylloxera Board and the
Coonawarra Vignerons Association, serving as
the inaugural president of the latter.
He is also a life member of the Penola
Pipe Band, and for a few years was even
the chairman of the Coonawarra Guinea Pig
Racing Association - a fun event put on by the
vignerons in the 1980s.
Prior to her passing, Annette was heavily
involved in the Stand Like Stone Foundation,
and was chair of the Limestone Coast Tourism
Association.
Pete is the present Coonawarra Vignerons
Association president and a long-time
representative on the Limestone Coast Wine
Industry Water Resources Committee.
Kirsty is the deputy chairperson of the SA
Wine Industry Association and has been on the
board since 2013 and is an active member of
the CVA.
“We have given back but we have also got
a lot out of it too in the relationships we have
built,” Kirsty said.
“It has given us a great grasp of the industry
- nothing much has happened that has been a
shock to us, other than maybe China.”
Enduring success

There have been many achievements along
the way but Doug, Kirsty and Pete all agree their
biggest has been harmoniously working side-by
side for more than 30 years.
During this time, Pete and Kirsty have both ▲ PAST LOVE: A bronzed statue of a shearer and
raised their own families and made other
a sheep pays homage to the Banaves family’s
investments outside the business. beginnings in the sheep industry.
“It is the business of the family, rather than
the family business and that is how we work
together,” she said.
The biggest challenge for the family came with
the passing of Annette in July 2018, who they The future
acknowledged was “the glue holding everything
together” in the business. The Balnaves family acknowledge there are
“Her philosophy was do it right, do it well, some “headwinds” facing Australia’s wine industry
do it regardless, which we have always but they are optimistic about their future, being a
remembered,” Kirsty said. well-recognised brand and having a diversity of
Pete says it is fantastic to see his sons Hugo markets.
and Ned and nieces Ellie and Annie getting Pete is excited about how quickly ag technology
involved in the family business, from driving is evolving and the gains this is bringing to their
grape harvesters to working in the cellar door vineyards.
but he says there is no pressure for a third Recently Balnaves installed a GIS platform
generation in Balnaves of Coonawarra. across all 18 sites that it owns or manages to
“I would be surprised if one or more of them allow them to overlay EM38 mapping and Green
don’t come back to the area - whether they Seeker data with yield maps.
come back to the business I have no idea,” he “It will allow us to do non-destructive sampling
said. across each site to take out the top 15 per cent or
Doug says everything has worked out brilliantly take the bottom 15pc out and really hone where ▲ ORIGINS: A young Doug Balnaves and his late
in the family’s transition from wool to wine. the fruit is coming from in a batch,” he said. father Ian with a bale of wool on their property.
He is still very involved but also now spends “Buying more land or buying more vineyards is
plenty of hours each week tending to his Angus a significant cost but if you can get 10pc or 20pc
cattle herd. more productivity of what you have got regardless
“When I got out of Hungerford Hill, most of the of the industry you are in that is a big thing.”
money went to paying debts,” he said. Pete is hopeful the industry will have the maturity
“My ambition, because I was a sheep farmer, to rationalise tonnages for the next few years and
was to buy a bigger sheep farm. help balance supply and demand.
“Lucky it didn’t happen because Kirsty and “Everyone has got something they can do,
Pete wouldn’t be working with me on a sheep we all have part of our vineyards that are not as
farm. productive as they could be, they are expensive to
“The grandchildren have grown up all amongst run because of their short rows or angle rows, or
us - you can’t get much luckier than that.” the varieties are not best for the region,” he said.