text by Sarah Young - image by Foued Kadachi

Australian born Don Buchanan has recently been appointed as Managing Director of Hatten Wines based in Sanur Bali. Don has won many awards, medals and trophies for his wines and has recently set up Buchanan Wines - Vineyard and Winery in Tasmania, producing super premium cool climate wines. He also created a micro brewery at Rosevears Hotel in the Tamar Valley producing boutique beers and consulted with Boags Brewery in Tasmania. With a love for cooking, good food, fine wine and flying (he pilots his own 2-seater Ultra Light Plane), Don and his wife Judy are looking forward to using this varied experience to build on the established success of Hatten Wines - the Original Balinese winery. The New World comes to Bali, but is it possible to produce quality wine in a tropical climate?

How long have you been a winemaker and was it something you had always aspired to be? In 1969 I finished Agriculture College in Victoria, Australia - there was a recession in the agriculture industry and no jobs were available anywhere in this field outside Australia. There was a job offer in Tanzania (East Africa) but that was not the right option for me. My mother played lawn bowls with a winemaker and so she arranged for me to work at his winery and this is how it began. At 18 I became what is known as a Cellar Rat (worker/labourer of winery).

Is it something that you have always aspired to be? How did you make this decision? No, I never thought of being a winemaker however within a month of working in the winery I was hooked, it did not take me long to become assistant winemaker.

How many wineries have you actually worked for? Lindeman, Leo Buring, Kaiser Stuhl, Krondorf, Buchanan Wines, Arrowfield, Tisdall, & Hopwood which is an Indonesian owned winery in Australia. I also had the opportunity to work in Europe.

What's the greatest joy about being a wine maker? I believe that growing beautiful fruit and crafting it into wine is no different to an artist with a palette of paint and a canvas. I love creating wines for people to enjoy, that complement food and add to their quality of life. A day without wine is a day without sunshine.

Can you describe your art of wine making, and what it brings to Hatten Wines? We are making identifiably different wines grown from local fruit to be drunk young. Simple, clean, pleasant wine.

What is the difference between a table grape and wine grape? Table grapes are generally suitable for eating but you can also make wine from them. Wine grapes are not particularly good for eating due to higher tannins and acid levels. The grapes that are available in Bali are table grapes that were grown initially for eating. We have taken these varieties and made the best styles of wine we can. We are experimenting with new varieties but the existing varieties have served us extremely well and are the back bone to what we do. They are sound, disease free and require practically no chemical spray and intervention.

Do a lot of people use table grapes? Yes – in Australia there are a lot of multipurpose grapes: used for drying, eating, confectionery and also for wine. However these are not the noble grapes that are traditionally used for wine making.

A lot of people assume that wine can not grown in the tropics. When I was first approached to come to Bali, my first response was "but they don't grown grapes in Bali!" After doing some research and visiting the vineyards I started to appreciate how it is possible. The grapes grown in Bali are very different to traditional viticulture. They have a totally different balance of flavour and acidity. The climate in the North of Bali is quite benign. The temperature is rarely more that 30 degrees – all year round. It is considerably dryer in humidity and rainfall than the southern part of the island and therefore good for grape growing. From a viticulture side we supplement the water supply of the grapes in the dry season, we grow them on a high pergola to allow air movement and minimise disease. The varieties that we grow have very tough skins and are very resilient.

We are seeing a growth in Indonesian nationals appreciating wine. Do you find their preference different to an Australian would perhaps enjoy wine varieties? Our wine styles are not heavy, alcoholic or aggressive wines, so for a new wine drinker they are a lot easier to approach.

A lot of Asians love the Sweetness of Alexandria and appear to enjoy sweeter wines. Why's this? All human beings tend to have a preference for sweet things when they are young. As we mature our palate dries out and we like more savoury things, until we reach our 60s-70s which is when we regress and return to sweet things. The majority of Asians are new to wines, so their palate development is younger: naturally they are be inclined to go for sweeter wines.

Describe the difference between fruitiness and sweetness. Natural fruit flavours give the impression of sweetness and give mid and end palate feelings that appear as sweetness. Sugar sweetness is actually tasted on the front of the tongue.

Does everyone have the ability to really taste the difference between wine styles? Yes it just takes practice. For new wine drinkers, what is the easiest way for them to choose an enjoyable wine? If people want to try wines, but are not keen on the wine straight it is ok to make wine cocktails. In Barossa years ago, the favourite summer drink was "hook line and sinker" - a beautiful combination of white wine, brown lime (a cordial), and lemonade, with cucumber and mint and garnished with hibiscus. This was a magnificent summer drink, low in alcohol and the first actual wine cooler. So it's ok to learn by having coolers or spritzers.

Do you think white wine is a better option in a tropical climate rather than a heavier red wine? Obviously yes, most Balinese food is not overly heavy and therefore lighter style wines suit Asian cuisine beautifully so it's nicer to drink something light like Rosé or a white wine or even a young red chilled. There is no doubt that a Shiraz or Cabernet suits red meat. The oak complements the BBQ charred characters off the grill. Hopefully we will start to see New World wines being paired to Asian cuisine, that will be the next step.