#7 of a series: Peter Christen, owner of Maldon’s Panacea Estate winery and cellar door.
So, how’s business?
“It’s going all right. We’re doing a fair bit better than last year, but as this is only our second year, I only have one year of comparison. More recently, I’m going out getting more wholesale customers and picking up more events like weddings. So, that’s really good. And there’s always lots of hard farm-like work to be done.
I grew up on a farm. My parents had a farm in Queensland where I grew up… small crops like zucchinis and cucumbers… on a river. I remember having a wonderful time there with them and playing with my brother and sister, roaming around and exploring. I really enjoyed it. So, I always liked the thought of my kids having the same sort of experience. Being able to roam around and explore stuff, to go swimming in a river or lake, and things like that. And when a place like Panacea came up… it ticked all the boxes.
There’s always lots of work, and sometimes the kids grumble about that. But then they love seeing little echidnas walking around… and the birds, and we go out into the vines… and grow veggies and so on. And when the fruits coming onto the vines, they really love all that.
Maybe in 20 years the kids will thank me?”
M. More.
“I think everybody’s trying to do more. Wants to do more. Know there’s more to be done. That they need more to offer. But often we can get more done by focusing more on what we are really good at. In these economic times, I think about other businesses that complement my business, then talking with them about teaming up to do more together. Your customers potentially become their customers and theirs become yours. And if we work more together as a town, I believe we could get more visitors to Maldon and get more acknowledgement and recognition for all the great things that are here.”
O. Ordinary.
“I really enjoy meeting lots of good, ordinary folks who enjoy simply getting out and about. And when I say ordinary, it’s not a derogatory thing. It means real. It’s meant as a term of endearment. And that’s what I like about people coming to the cellar door. Just ordinary people just doing their thing, doing their jobs, doing the best with what they have, just trying to work to be good people. There’s no pretence, there’s no arrogance, there’s no hierarchy… just ordinary human beings.”
D. Destination.
“Here at Panacea, we need to be a destination people want to come to. We’re not in town with a shop front that you’re going to walk past and go, ‘Oh, well, I may as well go in here.’ We’re not at the corner of Times Square where people just go, ‘I’m here anyway. I may as well duck into this shop.’ They come to Panacea as a destination. Maldon is a little bit the same way in that we are just that little bit far enough away from some other places… Bendigo, Ballarat, Daylesford… that people have made an effort to want to be in Maldon. So, similar to Maldon, people are not going to just accidentally happen upon Panacea. I would like everyone who drives over the hill and comes down our road to go, ‘Oh wow, look at this place.’ ”
L. Living.
“I try to make Panacea a place where people can visit for a while and simply enjoy life. Live life is what I think… just make sure it’s not all work, but not all play either. While the wine here is nice, it’s not a magic tonic that’s going to fix everything. But having good wine, having nice views, having good people to chat to, and having a relaxing environment… Panacea is a good tonic for many things. I love the views. And there are lots of little moments of beauty and appreciation… the way the timber’s stacked, all the birds, or the way the sun hits the grapes. It’s wonderful.”
N. New.
“For me, while I’ve been here a couple of years, it’s still very new. Still new to the industry, still new to the location, still trying to do new things. The old ‘shoot bullets first and then cannonballs’ – try lots of new things, get your aim in, and once you’ve hit the target with a bullet, then shoot the cannonball at it. That’s what I’ve really tried to do here, including working with new customers, new wholesale customers. And with new people coming to town, like the new restaurant, Franco’s. Every time I go into Much Ado, there’s something new there. And Maldon Inc held its Christmas function here last year to introduce Maldon businesses to Panacea. Times are difficult at the moment, so you can’t run with the norm.”
A. Awesome.
“We’re sitting here now, just chatting. And I’m thinking this is just an awesome place to be. It’s late afternoon, the sun’s just come out after a bit of a cloudy and cold day, and I’m very grateful for what Panacea is. And I think it’s awesome to have an opportunity to share it with people. I don’t plan on leaving until I’m buried. I love this place. I really enjoy it. So, I take a really long-term view. I know you’ve got to survive the short term to thrive in the long term, but as long as you’re surviving the short term, then you are thriving.”
To become a member or join a sub-committee: maldon.org.au or email maldoninc.org.au.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 3 November 2023.
