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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-25 Daily Xml
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Adjournment Debate

THUMM, MR H.

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (17:06): I want to raise an important matter. Members do not have to sit and listen—they can go home if they wish—but I want to put this on the record. I would like to highlight an ideas man in my electorate, a man I admire and respect. Mr Hermann Thumm was the former owner of Chateau Yaldara and is the current owner and creator of Chateau Barrosa (note the difference in spelling).

In 1999, more than 50 years after forming Chateau Yaldara Pty Ltd, Hermann Thumm sold the famous Barossa Valley chateau and the winery that bears its name. He then turned his attention to developing the nearby Barossa Park Motel into Chateau Barrosa, incorporating a baroque-style chateau surrounded by 30,000 roses and filled with one of the world's great collections of Meissen porcelain, antique furniture, tapestries and paintings. Some members have seen this collection, which is a world-famous one. For those who have seen it, it takes their breath away. Indeed, I cannot believe that we have a collection such as this in Australia. They are some of the finest pieces in the world. The question is: where has Hermann had them all these years?

Developing all this was part of Hermann's plan to enjoy an 'active retirement'. I do not think 'retired' is the word I would use to describe Hermann—he has achieved so much since creating Chateau Barrosa. Incidentally, Hermann chose to use the originally intended spelling and pronunciation of the Barossa—with two 'Rs' and one 'S' so that it is B-A-R-R-O-S-A, pronounced Bar-roza. It is the original name but misspelt. Hence, the rose garden is most appropriate.

Hermann did all this in his very senior years—at 95 years of age. I have kept close to him and was very proud of his achievements. When it came to officially open the Chateau Barrosa and the rose garden, he did lean on me a bit. He had some opposition to it from his family, and it was not all sweet. He asked whether I could get the Prime Minister to open the rose garden, and I said, 'I reckon we can do better than that.' He looked at me and said, 'You've been drinking the vino again.' I said, 'No, I have been in negotiations with somebody.' Indeed, the Queen opened this vineyard and the rose garden. I said to Hermann, 'We will get the Queen,' and Hermann looked at me, and very seldom was he speechless. But I had been negotiating with then premier Olsen, because the Queen's visit was being planned; and she went to the Barossa and opened the rose garden, and also the Lutheran aged care centre in Tanunda. It was a double header for me, and I was very pleased about that. What a great day it was.

The Queen visited the rose garden in the Chateau Barrosa during her 2002 visit to South Australia, planting a Queen Elizabeth rose and unveiling a plaque to formally open the rose garden, before attending a lunch with 70 guests in the chateau. We have lots of memories in this job and I have a great vision of seeing Hermann, this lovely bloke, this statesman for whom I have so much time in deep conversation with Her Majesty. They were strolling along like old mates, not a nerve in his body. She was obviously quite taken by him. The Queen also enjoyed some of Hermann's famous old Yaldara whites with him. I think it was an aged chardonnay. Hermann always did it the proper way and the old way.

As a Centenary Medal recipient, Hermann was recognised for his contribution to the success of Australia's first 100 years as a federal nation. He has even had a street in the Barossa named after him in honour of his service to business—Hermann Thumm Drive in Lyndoch. He continues to contribute to Australia's success to this day. In the last couple of years, he has turned his talents to organic food and beverages from grapes. As I said, he is an ideas man and he is not content to just sit out his senior years.

A few years ago Hermann saw the problem that an oversupply of wine grapes was causing and set about finding a solution to the problem. The solution he came up with is to make another product with wine grapes, and that is exactly what Hermann did: he created grape beer. It is great too—great grape beer. Yes, beer made entirely from wine grapes. Such a product could be sold in the domestic Australian market, a market where a strong Australian dollar would not have any impact on exports. I have tried the prototype of his product firsthand, and I have to say that I was most impressed with the beer. I think grape beer is a viable option to go hand in hand with and complement our current wine industry—and it is good for you and it is great in hot weather, with a very low glycaemic index.

During periods when the wine industry is experiencing difficulties (as it is at the moment) for whatever reason, grape beer would be able to supplement the wine industry and get it through the tough times. There has been no government support for this development. Ninety-five year old Hermann Thumm, a graduate of a German viticultural college, worked for over 12 months with no wages and put a few million dollars into the development of this beer. He has succeeded in turning white table wine grapes into organic beer. His beer is non-fattening and contains many vitamins and minerals. A specially designed vacuum still, operating at low enough temperatures, retains the nutritious value of the grape. The alcohol component undergoes a further fermentation with the addition of yeast—an elegant medium, malty beer called Grapien.

I have to say that, at 95 years of age, I think Hermann Thumm may be on to something. What a marvellous man. It is just an inspiration to be with him—and he has not stopped. He has his off days, but up he gets and he is into it again. Every time I go there, he has a new idea. The drought may have temporarily relieved the problem caused by an oversupply of grapes, but only temporarily.

However, the unsteadiness of the Australian dollar, along with the mass over planting which is still taking place, present new problems: difficulty exporting wine overseas and difficulty for grape growers to be able to sell their grapes. I firmly believe that the production of grape beer could ease the wine industry's problems. He also has a range of grape spreads of various flavours, and they are good. I do use those. They are popular and they can be bought at several shops. Also grape liqueurs which have been in this parliament under test in our refreshment room.

But the story does not end there. Believe it or not, Hermann has an even bigger plan, and that is to help save our water supplies through the use of grapes. He is suggesting that we can do it with surplus grapes and surplus white wine. He is really thinking outside the square. The wine is 90 per cent water and 10 per cent alcohol, and can be separated using the vacuum still he has developed.

The water resulting from the separation process is evidently beautiful and lovely, crystal clear water containing different vitamins, nutritional trace elements and tastes like what we are used to. Already this special water is being used in the production of Hermann's grape food and drink products, including an energy beer alternative, but he sees it as a stepping stone to getting water from grapes to solve our water shortage problems, particularly in the human consumption area. Hermann is even thinking that the 10 per cent alcohol separated via the vacuum still could then be used as an energy source and to power our cars.

In these changing times, we have to be prepared to consider alternative proposals for water creation seriously. I hope that some serious investigation can be done into Hermann's ideas. He has worked hard to promote his revolutionary vision for a viticultural industry that could also provide solutions for our water and environmental needs. I can imagine that members are thinking that the grapes would need to be irrigated in the first place and, therefore, use water. Hermann's plan appears to be that the vines would become virtually self-sustaining, particularly varieties such as doradillo and sultana. He claims that these types of grapes yield more water and thrive on non-irrigated land and empty paddocks.

I congratulate Hermann Thumm, his wife Inga and their family on their innovative ideas, and I hope that their vision comes to fruition. Hermann believes that we can double our viticulture in Australia. Indeed, instead of struggling and paddocks lying bare, farmers could grow grapes for beer and make clean water from the wine. After all, what is the Barossa without vines? What is South Australia without vines? What is Australia without vines?

Finally, I thank Hermann Thumm very much for being part of the reason that the Barossa is what it is today. He has been in the region for over 80 years. He has made the place famous. We talk about Barossa wine and food but, more importantly, we have Barossa people. We have some fantastic personalities, including Peter Lehmann. Hermann Thumm is not as well known as Peter Lehmann but he is just as supportive. Hermann has done a lot for our community. He makes donations for all sorts of activities. He is a very generous man and it is a great opportunity for me to make this speech. Hermann will get a copy of the Hansard and I am sure he will get a lot of satisfaction from it. He has given me a lot of inspiration and many good times. I hope he has many more years left in him.

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