In The Picture

Aussie Reds – so much alcohol, so little finesse

Is it global warming, tough Aussie men or smart marketing?

‘To force Syrah up to an alcoholic content of 14 per cent or more,’ Roger Scruton wrote in a New Statesman column headed Grapes of Wrath, ‘tricking it into early maturation, so as to put the result on the market with all its liquorice flavours unsubdued, puffing out its dragon breath like an old lecher leaning sideways to put a hairy hand on your knee, is to slander a grape that, properly treated, is the most slow and civilised of seducers.’

Once upon a time, Shiraz was indeed the most civilized of red wines. The most seductive were the reds from the upper Rhone – Hermitage, Cote Rotie etc. - fragrant, medium-bodied reds with peppery, spicy and earthy overtones. We made reds in a similar style: I remember Best’s Great Western Shiraz reds from the seventies that were delicate but long-lived because of their superb balance. And Hunter reds from Murray Tyrrell and Coonawarra reds from Owen Redman in that style.

These reds were typically around 12.5% in alcohol, but they had plenty of tannin and acid to ensure a long life. In fact, they needed many years in the cellar before they became drinkable. It was much the same with the Cabernets of the time.

Bigger is Better

This became the motto for Aussie winemakers in the 90s. In 2005, the Australian Wine Research Institute published a report by Peter Godden and Mark Gishen, which showed mean increases in alcohol across all grape varieties and wine regions. They found the biggest increases in red varieties: Between 1984 and 2004, average alcohol levels in red wines rose from approximately 12.3% by volume to 13.9%. This matches my own observations,  charting the rising alcohol levels of three well-known Aussie reds:

Penfolds Grange 1981 - 12.7%

Penfolds Grange 1996 - 14%

Penfolds Grange 2004 - 14.5%

Penfolds St Henri 1986 - 13.4%

Penfolds st Henri 1998 - 14%

Penfolds St Henri 2004 - 14.5%

Leconfield Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 - 13%

Leconfield Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 - 14%

Leconfield Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 - 14.5%

Bigger again still is better still

Today it’s hard to find Cabernets or Cabernet blends even from cool Coonawarra, even in a coolish year like 2010, that aren’t 14.5% alcohol. Bottles of Barossa and McLaren Vale Shiraz from the same year often notch up 15% or more. Overripe, jammy, extracted fruit bombs that assault your senses like bulldozers, wines so big that you're tempted to reach for a spoon, wines that can hardly be called ‘fine’ wines.

Some blame Robert Parker for this trend. The American who makes and breaks reputations at will developed a great fondness for the big ripe reds made in South Australia and Victoria. In the late nineties, he gave a 1996 Chris Ringland Shiraz 100/100 points and called it 'arguably the greatest Shiraz made in Australia ... this viscous, black/purple-colored wine represents the essence of both wine and Shiraz ... it is akin to a dry vintage port.' 

It's hard to see how a wine resembling vintage port - and Ringland's wines frequently reach close to vintage port alcohol levels of 16-17% - can be the essence of wine. Duck Muck Shiraz 1997 from Wild Duck Creek at Heathcote was another Parker favourite rated at 99 points out of 100, which instantly made a 16% red no one had ever heard of unprocurable. Single bottles soon sold for $1,000 or more at auction.

Other winemakers took their cue from this story and found that Parker was kind to all those who went right over the top on the octane scale. He found Sarah and Sparky Marquis, called their McLaren Vale reds ‘the greatest red wine values in existence’ and urged his followers to back up the ute. Sarah and Sparky launched a new brand in 2006, ‘Mollydooker’, for reds that packed a 16% punch.

Parker promptly declared The Boxer the Best Value Red Wine in the World, Two Left Feet the second best, and the Maitre D the fourth. Sparky proudly tells us that he leaves the grapes on the vines several weeks longer than anyone else in McLaren Vale. You didn’t think there was a market for Spaetlese Shiraz? The North Americans can’t get enough of it

Whaddayaknow: It’s not global warming

British wine authority Jancis Robinson cites a working paper published in May 2011 by the American Association of Wine Economists, which found that the increase in average alcohol levels in wines across the world was much greater than could be explained by global warming. The researchers concluded that ‘the rise in alcohol content of wine is primarily man-made'. http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201201133.html

Yes, it’s simple: winemakers make these rich, ripe, forward reds because they’re easier to sell. They also win more medals since judges reliably fall for wines with obvious charms like voluptuous curves, succulent fruit and velvety tannins. Reds like these also have instant appeal to some consumers since riper fruit and more alcohol (glycerol) make for a richer, smoother wine with a velvety mouth feel.

Others are getting really tired of these big reds. Robinson says: ‘It seems as though producers are aware of a general wariness of high alcohol levels yet wish to deliver a velvety texture that they reckon can be achieved only by prolonged 'hang time' of grapes on the vine.’

Isn’t it curious how our white wines have gone the other way, in the same climate, in the same vineyards? The trend has been to make them fresher and crisper to go with our outdoorsy summer style of living, and picking the fruit earlier to retain higher acid levels is a simple way of doing that. White wines are drunk chilled, too cold in most cases which kills the flavour and hides a lot of sins.

Misleading labels

Robinson also points out that the guys who wrote that working paper found winemakers reluctant to admit quite how high alcohol levels have to be ‘to achieve the imagined goal of gustatory fullness and roundness.’ This leads us to the next issue: the latitude authorities allow winemakers when it comes to printing the alcohol level on wine labels. In Australia, a wine labeled 14.5% can quite legally be anything from 13 to 16%.

This explains why some wines show the same alcohol level, year in, year out, and some winemakers claim the same alcohol level across a range of different wines. I tend to check the alcohol level on labels of wines before buying them in order to avoid monster reds and the Twiggy whites that have become so fashionable in recent years. What do you do when you can’t even rely on a simple number on a product label? 

Mechanisation – a drug of addiction

By the nineties, mechanical pruning and harvesting had became the norm in our bigger vineyards. The savings were irresistable, and the gains considerable. As James Halliday recalls: ‘... the major wineries were hellbent on producing the maximum yield per hectare at the lowest possible price. Pruning was mechanised and reduced to a minimum, and the grapes were mechanically harvested … low-cost viticulture had become a drug of addiction, facilitating discounting of already low-priced wines, yet providing a return on the annual running cost.’

What’s this got to do with rising alcohol levels in our reds? Let’s step back for a moment: sugar level determines the alcohol and natural acidity of a wine. Phenolics determine a wine’s colour and flavour compounds, and its grape tannins. These compounds advance along different maturing curves - in hot climates like ours, phenolic ripeness tends to lag behind sugar ripeness. In cold climates like Germany’s, it’s the other way round. In perfect climates, the two curves intersect.

With mechanical pruning and harvesting, the abundant vine canopies tend to slow phenolic ripenening of grapes and that means later picking at higher sugar levels. Picking later also reduces the number of unripe berries that end up in the crusher, the ones that caused those strange green pea and capsicum flavours in the eighties in Coonawarra reds. Coonawarra’s vast expanse of dead-flat vineyards was the perfect place for mechanization.

Back to nature

Those who hold global warming responsible for the rise in alcohol levels say that drought-stressed vines need to reach higher sugar levels to produce fruit of physiological ripeness. If that were so, why did the alcohol levels not go down after the drought ended? And how come the alcohol levels of white wines have come down in response to preferences by wine judges for fresher, lighter whites?

It really comes back to the winemaker and the vineyard. Physiological maturity is more easily achieved at sensible sugar levels in vineyards that are optimised for row spacing, vine density, trellising, pruning, canopy height and density, fruit shading and water use. This can't easily be done in vineyards set up for mechanical pruning and harvesting, since they impose their own rules on vineyard management.

One way to achieve phenolic ripeness at lower sugar levels is to use biodynamic or organic farming techniques. Early adopters include Henschke, Kalleske, Mitchell, Bass Philip, Bindi, Jasper Hill, Savaterre, Cullens and Howard Park. More wineries in the Margaret River region are adopting biodynamic practices, and it’s interesting to ponder how it’s forged ahead in the last decade while Coonawarra has underperformed.

Back to sanity

It’s great to have variety and choice, of course, and I have no issue with that. The problem with our reds is that the rise in alcohol has been pretty much across the board. The other problem is that high alcohol reds tend to lose their terroir and varietal characteristics – 15% reds taste pretty much the same, no matter where they come from.

A good example of this are reds from the Rhone from the warm years of 2007 and 2009. With alcohol levels of 14 – 14.5%, their fragrant, spicy, peppery, dusty characters were pushed aside by the sheer weight and ripe warmth of the wines. A Chateauneuf I had was no longer recognizable.

That’s not what fine wine is about, and that’s not where we ought to be heading. I will end with this plea to our wine judges who hand out the gongs at all those shows we run across the country: use the system to reward red wines of finesse, of elegance, of balance, wines that speak of their origins. Reward Shiraz wines of sweet breath and delicate touch instead of the puffed-up old lechers.

Kim

Southern Highland Wines, Tempus Two & Bergerac

Treasures from local wine merchants

I read that Michael Cooper, NZ’s James Halliday, had pronounced the Spy Valley Chardonnnay 2011 the best NZ Chardy released in 2012. You can get all kinds of Spy Valley wines in Sydney but the Chardonnay isn’t one of them. After an exhaustive trawl of the internet, the only place that popped up as a source was Mosman Cellars.

Mosman Cellars? I didn’t even know that we had an independent wine merchant left around here. There’s Cremorne Cellars down in Spofforth St, holding out against the Vintage Cellars monopoly in this area. Coles bought the Theos chain some years ago, and Theo had bought just about all the grog shops from Neutral Bay to Mosman. It was time to do what I've been preaching and show support my local wine merchant some support.

Mosman Cellars is a hole in the wall on Spit Road, among a gaggle of forlorn-looking shops, between Stanton and Parriwi Roads on the opposite side. The owner is a helpful young fellow called Maz. He doesn’t have any Spy Valley Chardonnay but he says he’ll find me a bottle. Service is the name of the game here, and wine labels you don’t see too often.

Sadly, only one of these is a BUY but the fun is in getting to know these wineries.

BUY

Southern Highlands Wines Estate Riesling 2012 - $15 at Mosman Cellars

Big, rich wine with enormous concentration of fruit, almost too much of a good thing, ripe citrus and orange set off against a fine acid backbone. Talk about flavour! Not one to keep, but one to have with full-flavoured foods over the next 12 months. It’s dry but it might’ve been even better late picked. 14%.

Castle Rock Great Southern Riesling 2012 – $20 at Bonds Corner Fine Wines

A fine Riesling from Porongurup near Mount Barker, with more restrained fruit than the 2012s from South Australia. It’s more delicate too but not soft in the German manner, in fact the acid is bordering on sour. The lime juice fruit is a little more subdued here, and the flavour has more herbaceous notes. With a bit of luck, that sharp backbone of fine acid will ensure years of improvement. Halliday gives it 96, Ray Jordan 95. I would’ve like a little more mid-palate intensity and a touch softer finish so I’m a couple of points behind. 12%.

Spy Valley Gewuerztraminer 2011 - $20 at Kemenys

I’ve been reading good things about Spy Valley, and their Gewuerztraminer has been a favourite for a while now. Had a chance to try it again, and it’s a big, rich Gewuerz and just great if you’re looking for the ripe lychees and spices. Not one to put away, but one to drink soon with rich foods like pork dishes.14%.

Spy Valley Riesling 2012 - $20 at Mosman Cellars

A much more refined wine, from a different year as well, really elegant citrus fruit and delicate but persistent acid. Long and lean but ripe enough, the fruit is softening already but the wine should improve for a couple of years or three.12.5%.

Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2012 - $17 at Mosman Cellars

2012 looks like a soft, ripe year from early indications. This wine has terrific fruit with hints of gooseberry and cut grass, and some citrus nuances but it’s all wrapped in a soft, ripe envelope that’s pretty easy on the gums. There's not a huge of amount of acid here for a young Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy now rather than later. 13%

McWillams Hanwood Estate 2010 - $8 at 1^st Choice

The good value 2009 is gone now, but this is very similar. Recognisable as Chardonnay, a touch more elegant and balanced, a trifle less oaky, decent drinking for the money. 13.5%

Catching Thieves Margaret River Chardonnay - $11 at Dan M’s

I used to struggle to find a McWilliams wine I could recommend, but this is the second one this week. The cute label that bears no resemblance to any other in the company’s stable. I suspect the fruit for it comes from McWilliams’ recent acquisition of Evans & Tate. This is pretty good drinking for the money – and I’ve seen this label on special at under $10 – with good Chardonnay fruit and enough depth and length and acid to keep it interesting. Not unlike unwooded Chardy but a bit more disciplined. 13.5%

Not Convinced

Knee Deep in Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2011 - $16 at Mosman Cellars

What I like most about this wine is the label. It made me smile. The wine was a bit flat and unexciting for an SSB from Margaret River. Needs a bit more fruit and more zest to convince us that it’s a serious wine. Not that bad, but not really good enough. Gets 91 from James H. I’m a couple points behind once more.

Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling 2012 - $15 at Winestar

This looked like a terrific bargain, with all the gongs and rave reviews: South Australian Wine of the Year (Trophy), 96 Points (Gold) at the Melbourne Show 2012, Gold Medal at the Hobart Show 2012, Best Value White Wine - The Age/Sydney Morning Herald Good Wine Guide 2013, and more.

Reg, Andy and I grabbed a bottle to have with lunch. Our disappointment was unanimous: this was a pleasant, soft Riesling with instant appeal, nothing wrong with it, but we all agreed we’d had better Rieslings from this terrific year. Pewsey Vale, Jim Barry Watervale, O’Leary Walker Watervale and Mitchell’s Clare Valley Rieslings are our top 4 for $15 -$20.

About the Knappstein, Nick Stock writes: ‘… lovely, dense acidity, crunchy and even. Terrific flow and balance, great flavour depth here.’ We didn’t see that. Tyson Stelzer says ‘Precise lime juice, granny smith apple and lemon blossom carry seamlessly from refined bouquet through a palate of brilliant intensity, unreserved focus and incredible persistence. Layers of chalky mineral structure ...’ we didn’t see that either. Max Allen talks about a great value Riesling you can ‘comfortably cellar for a decade or more.’ We didn’t think the wine would last that long.

Are we blind? Were we smoking something weird over lunch? No. The 2012 Jim Barry Lodge Hill served as a reference, and it was the better wine (and the dearer at $20) yet this winner of 7 trophies is not our top 2012 Riesling either. It comes down to the way we taste wines, I suspect: with food, over a period, not on a bench with a dozen others. Try it yourself, it's not a bad wine for $15.

Chateau de la Mallevieille Bergerac 2011 – $22 at Bonds Corner Fine Wine

Bergerac is an area that lies to the south-east of Bordeaux, very much overshadowed by its famous neighbour. Bergerac is a large and diverse area with a mixed reputation, so this is the kind of wine you should only buy from a wine merchant who knows his way around the producers. John at Bonds Corner in Northbridge was a sommelier before he bought this bottleshop, and he has an interesting selection lot of wines here.

This one is an aromatic wine with a fresh fruit flavour profile – there’s some Sauvignon Blanc detectable here, and other flavours suggesting a fruit salad mix of grapes. Checking on the appellation reveals that Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, Viognier and Carignan are all used in these wines. It’s fresh and well-made, and good summer drinking when chilled. It’s a bit short on the finish but the reason it’s not a BUY is the price: $22 after the 15% discount for a 6-pack. There’s just not enough to it for this kind of money. More info on the wines of Bergerac here http://www.helensavage.com/tastings/bergerac.html

Brokenwood Chardonnay 2012 – $16 at Chambers Cellars (30% off sale)

Once this was the original boutique winery with a tiny output, but these days Brokenwood makes a staggering array of wines. Few of them use Hunter Valley fruit, it seems. This Chardy is sourced from Beechworth, McLaren Vale and Cowra, and it’s a very attractive, well-made wine – fruit driven and not relying on oak to any extent. The downside is that it’s not recognisable as a Chardonnay, it tastes more like a fruit salad blend. Nice enough, don’t get me wrong, but not really good enough compared with Chardys from Hoddles Creek and Tarrawarra for the same money. (this is a $20 wine most places, most of the time).

Brokenwood Pinot Noir 2010 - $19 at Chambers Cellars (30% off)

This Pinot Noir from Beechworth is a notch higher in the price range than the Chardy, and the first thing that stands out is the good red colour and the depth of it. Sadly, the rest of the wine is less impressive. Again it’s well-made, and again it’s not recognisable as a Pinot Noir. It’s a light to medium bodied red that lacks both the sweet and savoury nuances we expect in a good Pinot. Checking my bearings, I find that scores range from 87 (Parker) to 90 points from the ever-generous James Halliday. I'm somewher in between.

Ruggabellus FLUUS 2011 - $23 at Bonds Corner Fine Wine

I love the name, and the label, and the story told by Abel Gibson on his website: ‘... my life has been filled with privileged experience working with and observing some great winemakers each with their own unique way of crafting wine. ‘Respect and history’ was learnt at Penfolds, ‘art and tradition’ at Rockford, ‘intellect and detail’ from Chris Ringland, ‘bunch and mystery’ from Charlie Melton, ‘provenance and balance’ from my father at Gibson and most recently and quite importantly ‘belief’ from Pete and Magali at Spinifex – without their encouragement ‘Ruggabellus’ would in all likelihood have remained an idea to this day.’

Last year, Abel Gibson won both Young Gun of Wine Awards – he was both the judges' and the consumers’ choice. Max Allen said, ‘Past finalists of the Young Gun of Wine Awards have gone on to become legends of the industry, so it is remarkable that one winemaker has taken both awards – particularly so in a year that has arguably the strongest line-up of finalists thus far.’ Enough said?

The other wines Abel Gibson makes are

• TIMAEUS – inspired by Grenache
• EFFERUS – inspired by Mataro
• ARCHAEUS – inspired by Syrah

I couldn't find an explanation for the inspired names, try as I might. FLUUS, Abel tells us, contains those wines that remain after blending the three above. Gary Walsh at the Winefront tells us that the 2011 Fluus was the only wine Abel made from that rain-soaked vintage. I wanted to like the wine, a hand-made, medium-bodied (13.6%) Barossa GSM, but I have to admit I liked the wine less than Gary. I think it reflects the awful vintage, and in hindsight I may have been a bit harsh on Kym Teusner’s 2011 reds which have a bit more meat on their bones. The Fluus has all the right ingredients for a wine made to go with food but they don’t work any magic, and the wine feels a bit edgy and thin in the mouth, rather than silky and smooth. Not a keeper either.

More info here: http://www.ruggabellus.com.au/information/

AVOID

Tempus Two Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2012 - $13 at MyCellars and other places

This blend of Hunter Semillon and Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc has won tree trophies and several gold medals, and here am I saying ‘stay clear of it.’ This is one of those tricked-up wines where unripe (11.3%) fruit is masked by a sweet fruit overlay that reminds me of artificially sweetened soft drink. I’ve no idea how this concoction fooled the judges.My partner is in full agreement.

Harewood Estate Riesling 2012, Vendange Tardive - $20 at Mosman Cellars

This is a Riesling from the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Vendange Tardive, like Spaetlese, means late picked. This wine has some residual sweetness on offer but little else – no crisp acidity to carry it, no real intensity of mid-palate flavour, no perfume on the nose ... it’s a mystery wine from a serious new winery. Three of us could find no redeeming features over here, and I still can’t a week later.  

Bad bottle? No idea. On that subject, the heavy designer bottle is a real turn-off. I really wish wineries would stop using these since they must take a lot more energy to make and to move around than ordinary bottles.

Kim

How Southcorp and Fosters trashed the Rosemount brand

Would you pay $1.5 billion dollars for a brand, and let it go down the drain?

By the turn of the millennium, Rosemount was one of the most recognisable wine brands in Australia. It was the country’s fifth biggest wine company, and it was profitable. It made large volumes of cheap and cheerful Chardonnay under its diamond label, along with premium wines such as Roxburgh Chardonnay and Balmoral Syrah.

Southcorp bought Rosemount for $1.5 million in 2001. Southcorp already had an enviable portfolio that included great Aussie brands like Penfolds, Lindemans and Wynns, so I can't imagine why they wanted Rosemount so badly. The merger was painful, and some talked of a reverse take-over as some of Rosemount’s team had taken up key roles at Southcorp HQ. The cultures just didn’t mesh, there was lots of infighting, and soon good people on both sides left for calmer waters.

It’s alright to sit up there in your flash suits

In 2003, Southcorp had to write down the value of its investment by $240 million yet CEO John Ballard told ABC radio: ‘As someone who has spent most of his life in the world of global brands marketing, let me say that the Rosemount brand is a wonderful brand. And its potential for this company is simply immense.’

A year later, Ballard faced a virtual shareholder revolt. ‘It’s all right to sit up there in your flash suits and get your big money,’ one shareholder told the board. ‘None of you fellas are suffering like we are. I’m an investor. I rely on the income [from dividends].’ A hasty restructuring exercise followed but did little to ease the flow of red ink.

Rosemount was just one of many leaks on the sinking ship Southcorp. The story goes that the Oatley family, who sold Rosemount and had become big shareholders in Southcorp, approached Fosters to rescue the company (and what was left of the Rosemount brand). In 2005, the big brewer came to the party and bought Southcorp for $3.2 billion.

Diamonds and more diamonds

The marketing boys at Fosters wasted no time refloating the Rosemount. They knew they had to think big, and come up with a marketing master stroke. Taking their cue from the diamond-shaped label, they created a new bottle with a diamond base. No kidding. They also created a new ‘brand architecture’ to go with the new bottle: six distinct tiers of Rosemount wines, each with its ‘own philosophy and consumer proposition.’

Predictably, retailers disliked the hard-to-handle diamond-bottomed bottles, consumers thought they were gimmicky, and serious drinkers shook their heads and looked for other brands. The new brand architecture remained a mystery to all. Fosters also sold the Rosemount winery in the Upper Hunter Valley and moved the cellar door to McLaren Vale. No kidding.

Five years later, Rosemount’s local market share had slipped to about 1% from a high of 5% in 2000. Late in 2010, Fosters announced that its newly demerged wine subsidiary Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) would carry out a high-level global review of the Rosemount brand, to be overseen by Foster’s global brand council and its most senior managers.

Delightfully Unpretentious

TWE presented the results to the trade in late November 2011. Industry veteran David Farmer confessed to some confusion about the ‘New Positioning’, which was supported by great lines like Rosemount Estate is everything you love about wine without all the pretense (sic). The new tagline for the Diamond label range is Delightfully Unpretentious, and the message on the bottle says: The bright fresh flavours of Diamond Label are the perfect expression of Rosemount Estate.

Despite Foster’s and TWE’s efforts over the last seven years, the Rosemount brand hasn’t recovered any of its former glory. It shows that you need to care for a brand no matter how big it is, and maintain a consistent, logical positioning that you can build on. Simple really, isn’t? As for Bob Oatley, he probably thinks more about the next yacht race these days than his former diamond.

Additional Reading

Does Rosemount Have a Future? David Farmer, December 13, 2010 http://www.glug.com.au/index_industry.php?sec=industry&art=10014

Rethinking the Shape of a Diamond, David Farmer, February 22, 2012 http://www.glug.com.au/index_industry.php?sec=industry&art=12001

Best wines under $10, $15, $20 & $25

Just a reminder about our lists of BEST WINES under $10, $15, $20 and $25, which we update constantly to make sure the gems we find are readily available. One of our followers said: Great site! I love it and find it very useful when buying wine ... you do all the leg work for me. That’s it in a nutshell.

Best Wines under $10 http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2012/10/best-wines-under-10.html

Best Wines under $15 http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2012/10/best-wines-under-15.html 

Best Wines under $20 http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2012/10/best-wines-under-20.html

Best Wines under $25 http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2012/10/best-wines-under-25.html

We’ve drawn the upper limit at $25 since most of us only go beyond that for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, and here’s the wine world’s dirty little secret: There’s very little correlation between quality and price. $20 wines often beat $70 wines in shows, competitions or tastings. Some recent examples:

• A $17 Richard Hamilton McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010 won the 2012 Visy Great Australian Shiraz Challenge Trophy outright
• A $23 Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2010 won the 2012 Great Australian Red Challenge against $70 wines like Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
• In his 2013 Wine Companion, James Halliday rates Teusner’s $18 Riebke Shiraz at 96 points, and the $600 Penfolds Grange at 95.

We know all this stuff because we live and breathe wine, and we know who sells the gems at the best prices. All you have to do is check our BEST UNDER lists, and we’ll tell you where to get the best wines at the best prices. 

Kim

From Fraser Gallop Chardonnay to Audrey Wilkinson Shiraz

Opened a few interesting wines over Christmas and New Year, as you do. I wrote about some of them in this post http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2013/01/the-stand-out-bargain-of-2012-de-bortoli-deen-vat-5-botrytis-semillon-2008.html

One of my followers asked me why I didn’t review Hunter Valley wines more often. My experience is that you have to pay more than $25 for good Hunters - for example the Tyrrells Bin reds and whites, and the better Brokenwoods – and that other wine areas offer better value. Another reason is that I’m not fond of most of the underdone Semillons that come out of the valley, even if I’m the odd man out here.

So I thought I’d better try some Hunter Valley wines, but Dan Murphy’s selection was remarkably small. Perhaps most Hunter wine is still bought direct from vineyards since its so close to Sydney. Nothing wrong with that but it didn’t help me on this occasion. Still, we have a few Hunters here for review. 

BUY

Waipara Hills Pinot Gris 2011 - $16, Dan M’s

We’ll start with a couple of KIWIs for a change. This is a rich Pinot Gris full of ripe pears, peaches and ginger, but balanced. It’s a big smooth almost unctuous mouthful – not unlike Traminer - and 14.5% strong. Would be great with a rich pork dish – pork fillet in cream and mustard sauce, or a pork roast. A Pinot Gris that doesn’t ask for understanding or forgiveness. Don’t keep it for too long, though.

Clifford Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 - $13 at Kemenys

I’ve raved about this wine before, and it’s at its peak now: sharply focused if not complex, but with lovely ripe fruit in the gooseberry spectrum and a finish that remains resolutely crisp. Perfect summer seafood wine, will last another 6 – 12 months but won’t improve. 

Fraser Gallop Parterre Chardonnay 2011 - $26 at MyCellars

This wine is just over $25 but worth crossing the threshold. Fraser Gallop is an up-and-coming winery near Willyabrup in Margaret River. Nigel Gallop is pretty serious about his endeavour; to prove how serious, he hired ex-Vasse Felix winemaker Clive Otto in 2007. Clive Otto was Australian Winemaker of the Year in Wine State magazine once, and clearly has a lot to offer http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/gourmet-traveller-wine-winemaker-of-the-year-2011-finalist-clive-otto-fraser-gallop.htm 

This wine scored 97 points in James Halliday's Chardonnay Challenge 2012; the Penfolds Yattarna 2008 was the only wine to score higher with 98 points. The Parterre is a class act for sure, a touch more elegant than the lovely Mountadam 2010 but there’s enough white peach and classy French oak to make me think of white Burgundy. Lovely now and years in front of it.

Thorn-Clarke Sandpiper Eden Valley Riesling 2012 - $14 at Dan M’s

It looks like the vintage of 2012 has sprinkled fairy dust on every Riesling in South Australia. Sandpiper is Thorn-Clarke's basic range. This wine is less perfumed and flowery than the 2012 Pewsey Vale - it’s on the savoury rather than fruity side, more like a traditional Eden Valley Riesling. It has the length and depth and backbone to improve over a few years too. Not outstanding value, given that you can buy the Pewsey Vale or Jim Barry for the same money. 13%.

Bellarmine Riesling Dry 2010

A wine I recommended a year ago, which has settled into a lovely, refined yet honeyed wine with distinct German overtones – dry Spaetlese comes to mind. Very interesting style, and quite different from the Clare and Eden Valley Rieslings I love. The 2011 is more delicate, judgeing by the 11% alcohol. I haven’t tried it. JH gives it 94. $17 at Kemenys.

Wolf Blass Eaglehawk Riesling 2012 - $6 at Dan M’s

This is not the greatest Riesling around, and my first thought was to put it in the NOT CONVINCED group. At $6, that’s hard to do because the 2012 vintage has even worked its magic on wines of such humble origin (all over SA) and modest price. It’s a bit sweet and a bit simple, but there’s nothing wrong with it for the price, and there’s authentic lime fruit here with length and balance. 12.5%.

Bethany Barossa Chardonnay 2010 - $16 at Dan M’s.

An old Barossa family that used to sell its grapes to the big guys, then set up its own winery in the early eighties when the big guys stopped buying their grapes. I’d had little exposure to Bethany until a wonderful fortified wine called Old Quarry Fronti ($20 at Dan M’s) surprised me last winter, and this Chardonnay did the same thing. Quite restrained for a 3-year old Barossa Chardy, elegant fruit in the white peach spectrum, light touches of nutty oak, all of it perfectly balanced by a long crisp finish. 13%.

Meerea Park Shiraz 2011 - $13 at Dan Murphy

This is the new name of the former Little’s winery at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley. James Halliday tells us that owner and winemaker Rhys Eather is a grandson of Alexander Munro, a leading vigneron of the 19^th century. This wine is young and fresh once you let it breathe, but shows some mature touches around the gentle sweet fruit. Lightish in body, not unlike a Chianti, and just as easy on the gums. Perfect lunchtime red, or anytime with Pizza or Pasta. No big future but good drinking for $13. 13%. (the winery gets 5 red stars from JH).

Baron Amarillo Rioja Reserva 2006 - $10 at ALDI

This Rioja from ALDI turns out to be a pretty nice drop for $10. Elegant and sophisticated, with a light Spanish accent, mature but not too developed. Easy on the gums. 

 Seppeltsfield DP 57 Grand Tokay - $29 at Dan M’s

Yes, it’s over $25 but the bottle is 500ml. This was left over from the last winter, when we lapped it up with dried fruits and nuts and a sweet cheese. Classic Rutherglen Tokay.

NOT CONVINCED

Tyrrells Moon Mountain Chardonnay 2012 - $15 at Dan M’s

Lemon curd fairly leaps from the nose of this wine, a common affliction of our new wave Chardonnays. There’s more of it on the palate along with some hints of green melon. Not much nutty oak here or creamy peaches, and not my kind of Chardonnay. Not a lot of depth here either, and it finishes short. With a bit of luck it will improve for a year or two. 13.5%

Looks like they pay more attention to the PR blurb than the winemaking at Tyrrell’s these days. The website says of this wine: Skillfully (sic) crafted through the amalgamation of fruit and balanced wood handling, this wine has an energy and personality that comes from the dedication of making a perfect example of a Hunter Valley chardonnay.

D’Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2011 – $14 at Dan M’s

I was keen try this after the great 2010. Sadly, this year isn’t in the same class - it lacks depth, flavour and crisp acidity. Nothing wrong with it per se, it just doesn’t hit the right notes for me. May improve in the short term. 13.5%

AIRDE.450 Clare Valley Riesling 2012 - $10 at ALDI

Nothing fundamentally wrong with this one either, and hinting at the quality of the 2012 vintage, but once again it didn’t really excite me or grab me as a standout bargain the way the Annie’s Lane does for the same money. 12.5%

Kalleske Moppa Shiraz 2010

I’d expected more from this wine. Kalleske has a great reputation for Barossa reds, and the ancient family vineyards are carefully managed along organic lines. I bought this $30 wine some months ago for $22, but didn’t get around to tasting it until now. To give the Shiraz a lift, Troy Kalleske uses small amounts of Viognier and Petit Verdot in the final blend.

There’s certainly a lovely fruit sweetness here, with an extra dash of bright cherries and spicy fruit cake, but depth and complexity are a bit light on. Nice mouth feel, soft tannins and balance, just a bit light on for an old vines Barossa Shiraz. 14.5%. NLA. The 2011 is $23 at Dan M’s online.

Audrey Wilkinson Hunter Valley Shiraz 2009 - $18 at Dan M’s

This wine is made at one of the Hunter’s most historic vineyards, bought by the Wilkinson family in 1866. By the early 1900s, following the death of his father, Audrey Wilkinson took over the winemaking at 15 years of age. He made hock, claret and fortified wines which won awards around Australia and were popular in London. Audrey’s motto was It’s all about the taste.

There sure is no shortage of taste here: the dense, deep red colour suggests substance, the slightly pongy, tarry edge on the nose is classic traditional Hunter red. The wine packs a bigger punch than the other two Hunter reds in this post. There’s some sweet fruit here too, but it's on the hot side and the acid isn't as fine as it should be. Maybe it just needs ten years to turn into one of those great old Hunter reds, but I doubt it. 14%.

John Duval Affinis Shiraz Barossa Valley 2010 - $23 at Cellarmasters

This wine was offered to David Jones wine club customers as part of a BEST selection. I suspect it’s made by Cellarmasters for DJs, via complex arrangements – more details here:  http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2012/09/woolworths-and-coles-masters-of-wine.html

Made by John Duval, for many years the chief winemaker at Penfolds before Southcorp bought Rosemount. The wine is deep red in colour, very vibrant and young, smells of red fruits and plum jam. The fruit tastes a bit extracted and jammy to me, there’s an overlay of expensive oak (American and French, 30% new), which isn’t sitting comfortably. It’s a chunky wine, a strange blend of quality touches and sharp edges. I expected more polish from a wine made by a winemaker of John Duval’s calibre. 14%.

Westend 3 Bridges Botrytis Semillon 2010 - $19 at Kemenys

I don’t drink a lot of stickies so I put this on one of my BEST lists, given the rave review from James Haliday (95 points) ... ‘the palate is unctuous and hedonistic, with a long, luscious and pure finish; wonderful value at the price.’ The wine has alos won trophies at the Shanghai International Wine Challenge and the Decanter World Wine Awards. I found a pretty simple sweet wine, which might’ve had more life to it a year ago. The $10 de Bortoli bargain of the year elicited more delighted noises from the dinner table.

 

AVOID

Madfish Gold Turtle Margaret River Chardonnay - $14 at Dan M’s

A curious wine not recognisable as a Chardonnay. There’s some perfume on the nose but it’s not the kind of perfume we associate with wine – it’s more like the stuff women use to make themselves smell more appealing to the opposite sex. I suspect it’s some kind of fancy aromatic oak, and it clouds the palate as well and obscures whatever else is going on. Over two days this wine didn’t change much, and never revealed its charms. I thought the 2010 Gold Turtle Cabernet Merlot was terrific value but this wine is an aberration.

Tyrrells Brokenback Shiraz 2010

Some call this wine the ‘baby brother to Vat 9’, arguably Tyrrell’s best Shiraz, but I suspect Vat 9 would take offence. It opens with a classic Hunter red nose of old tennis shoes and sweaty socks. Once that clears, the wine turns out to be remarkably free from complexity, depth, substance or interest. It’s a lightish red like the Meerea Park, without the fruit, life, charm and appeal of that one. It just isn’t one of those wines that makes you come back for more. And over the two days I had it open, it offered less and less.

The ratings this wine gets from other reviewers range from 88 to 90, yet they all say nice things about it. Funny how no one wants to pick a fight with Bruce Tyrrell and call this a pretty poor effort for $15 from a winery with such a big reputation. I’ll give it 4 (86-87) a rating I reserve for ‘a wine best used in the kitchen or in marinades for the BBQ’. My apologies for quoting myself before I’ve become famous.

Kim Brebach

COSTCO and ALDI crash into big box wine retail

I’ve seen the future of wine retailing, and it fills me with horror

‘Costco's lead wine buyer Annette Alvarez-Peters doesn't understand why wine is any different than toilet paper,’ an article on US website Eater National begins. The source of this statement is an interview on CNBC with Costco’s chief wine buyer Annette Alvarez-Peters, who is asked if wine is different from other products. She answers:

‘Is it more special than clothing, is it more special than televisions? I don't think so.’

Interviewer: ‘Certainly it's different than toilet paper? Or different than tin foil?’
Alvarez-Peters: ‘Why?’

You get the idea. Toilet paper gets an honourable mention because it’s Costco’s biggest selling product line. Alvarez-Peters gets a mention because she is in charge of Costco’s wine business, which last year notched up over one billion dollars. Costco’s model is interesting:

• It really is a big box warehouse set-up, operating like a wholesale outlet
• Costco doesn’t advertise, and doesn’t tell you where to find things
• To shop at Costco, you have to become a member.

Photo courtesy of CBNC

COSTCO arrives down under

I haven’t been to Costco in Auburn, Sydney’s sole store. Jenni Port writes in the Australian about the Melbourne store that ‘you had to be there, literally, to find out what was being offered in the wine "department", a modest rectangle of space hemmed in between fresh flowers and cigarette sales, because Costco does not advertise. You also had to be a member, which costs $60.’

Jenni describes Costco’s Melbourne’s wine section as ‘a central aisle of upmarket wines packed in nice wooden box-ware while the cheaper stuff is stacked on industrial shelving to the side.’ The surprising part of Costco’s wine proposition is that it sells expensive branded wines like Dom Perignon, Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet and even Grange, all at lower prices than Dan Murphy. Jenni quotes sources who say Costco uses cheap premium wines to attract a better class of people into the store who will spend more. ‘Getting people to spend up big,’ Jenni tells us, ‘is the beating philosophical heart of Costco because the company works on the skinniest margins imaginable.’ Fast bulk turnover is the normal driver here.

ALDI - Don’t expect a great experience

ALDI has also taken the plunge into liquor. Only some ALDI stores sell grog in NSW, so it was off to Brookvale near the northern beaches to see what the super-rich German retailers were offering. I’ve been to a couple of ALDI stores before, and have to tell you that they’re the kinds of shops I tend to avoid like cheap plonk. The stores look cheap, sell lots of tat and are hard to get around in. The punters put up with all of that in order to save a few cents.

Here too, the driver is fast bulk turnover, but ALDI’s proposition is different from Costco’s, as we’ll see. The liquor section in the ALDI at Brookvale is a square box with walls on three sides, about the size of a small spare room. Beer, spirits and wine share the limited space with people. As soon as someone joins you, it feels crowded. It’s a ghastly experience, so is it worth it? NO, in a word.

With wine, labels matter

There are clean-skin equivalent bottles from south-eastern Australia for $5 – 7, regional wines from $10, and more fancy ones for $13 to $20.  Call me old-fashioned but I prefer to buy brands I know and trust, so I’m not really tempted by all the Buyers Own Brands (BOB) here, wines with labels you’ve never seen before so you’ve no idea who made the wines. There are exceptions, such as a Baron Amarillo Rioja Reserva 2006 from Spain, which turns out to be a pretty nice drop for $10. Elegant and sophisticated, with a light Spanish accent, mature but not too developed.

The AIRDE.450 (sic) Clare Valley Riesling 2012 also provides pleasant drinking for $10, but these wines are no better than the wines on my BEST WINES UNDER $10 list. And they’re no better than Kemenys’ Devils Ridge, which tell you who made the wine. Or Kemenys’ Hidden Label wines that let you guess the maker in most cases. Kemenys’ approach makes more sense to my mind, and I can shop online, which I can’t with ALDI or Costco.

http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2012/10/best-wines-under-10.html

http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2012/08/kemenys-hidden-labels-uncovered.html

For Woolworths and Coles, the world is not enough

Woolworths and Coles don't seem to have noticed the new competition, and continue to fight each other. They already have 60% of the market between them. Coles’ liquor sales are close to $3 billion through some 700 shops. Woolworths sells over $6 billion through about 1200 stores.Woolworths owns Dan Murphys, BWS, Wine Market, Langton's and Cellarmasters. Coles owns Vintage Cellars, Liquorland and 1^st Choice.

photo courtesy of www.skinnyperth.com

It’s a cosy duopoly but don’t ask why the ACCC didn't lift a finger as these two bought virtually every liquor chain in Australia, and drove most of the small guys out of business. In 2011, Woolworths bought Cellarmasters with its mailing list of 330,000, as well as its huge warehouse and winery in Nuriootpa. Where was the ACCC, our competition watchdog? Not lifting a finger.

The excuse? The proposed acquisition ‘was unlikely to substantially lessen competition in any relevant market.’ That’s like a policeman saying he didn’t interfere in an attack because the attacker didn’t kill or maim his victim. The ACCC is blissfully ignoring that every stab it ignores is yet another in a death by a thousand cuts. And these guys are supposed to be on our side?

1^st Choice becomes second choice

Late in 2011, Coles declared war on Woolworths. The Australian reported that Coles planned to ‘fund a massive expansion in the alcohol sector, helping to up the ante in its price war with rival Woolworths in the $14 billion liquor market.’ 1^st Choice was Coles’ weapon of choice for this war. The Vintage Cellars stores were too upmarket and never price-competitive with Dan Murphys, except for a 6-month period a few years back when VC offered a 30 per cent discount on 12-bottle cases.

A year ago at 1^st Choice, the shelf prices were about 20% lower than those at VC, and the maximum discount of 10% applied to six bottles. 1^st Choice was more than competitive with Dan Murphy. Then last October (2012), 1^st Choice cut the discount to 5%, and many of the prices lost their sharp edge over night. A month later, Vintage Cellars reduced its maximum discount of (for 12 bottles) to 10% (for a six pack), and bumped up its prices as well. Clearly the war was over; Coles had tossed in the towel and decided to sit in its corner sulking.

Other choices

Since then, bargains have been harder to find, especially in the run up to Christmas and New Year when the punters go nuts on grog anyway. Thankfully, there are other options left as long as you like shopping online: Kemenys is a thriving family business that grew out of a mixed grocery shop in Bondi. It may only turn over $200 million a year, but the prices are more than competitive with Dan Murphy’s. The range is more limited but well-chosen, and the website carries reviews from JH, HH and others about most of the wines on offer. 

Winestar and Vintage Direct (Nicks) are a couple of Melbourne-based retailers who offer quality wines at competitive prices; MyCellars does the same in Adelaide with a smaller range. Again it’s really easy to buy online from these guys, and Winestar delivers the goods at no cost to 97% of the country. I prefer to buy wine online for these simple reasons:

• I can work out what I want and where to get it at the right price, from the comfort of my home
• I don’t have to fight for a parking spot at the grog shop
• I don’t have to cart the grog to my car and hoist it into the boot
• I don’t have to unload the car at the other end.

So do us all a favour: support the last of the independent wine merchants. Buy online. If you have an independent wine shop left in your neighbourhood, support it. You’ve seen what Woolworths and Coles have done to our food choices. You’ve seen how they destroyed the dairy industry – don’t let them do it to wine or we’ll end up in the same mess. And Costco and Aldi? Do you really want to buy your wine from people who don’t know the difference between wine and toilet paper?

Essential Reading: http://theskinnyperth.com/2012/10/22/the-great-supermarket-swindle-how-coles-and-woolworths-will-soon-own-your-life/

Kim Brebach

The stand-out bargain of 2012: de Bortoli Deen Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon 2008

The good news is that you can still buy it in 2013

The Christmas and New Year break is a good time to revisit some of the top wines on our lists to make sure we got our recommendations right. The result is a short short list of wines we enjoyed and confirmed as outstanding bargains.

de Bortoli Deen Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon 2008

At $10.45 a half bottle at Dan M’s, my advice is: back up the ute. You won’t find a better sticky than this for less than $20. The colour is mid gold, the nose promises oranges and apricots, honey and cream. The palate delivers on the promise in a rich and luscious package, so full of flavor you don’t really need a dessert with it. It’s not the most complex of dessert wines but it’s 5 years old and ready to enjoy. I have no idea why it hasn’t sold out long ago – the wine has won four trophies and seven gold medals. Gets 8.5 out of 10 from me (96).

Mountadam High Eden Chardonnay 2010

The runner up for the bargain of the year, this is textbook Chardonnay but not of the fashionable Twiggy style. It’s full-flavoured, or at least it will be given another year or two. The problem is that it’s hard to keep your hands off it. The 500m high vineyard was planted in the early seventies by the late David Wynn and son Adam, and the vines are 40 years old now. Con Moshos – ex Petaluma – is in charge of winemaking and clearly equal to the task.

Huon Hooke wrote in the SMH that the Mountadam 2010 Chardonnay topped a tasting in World of Fine Wine magazine in March last year, conducted by Andrew Jefford, Anthony Rose and Jancis Robinson. The competition included our top Chardonnays: Cullen, Leeuwin Estate Art Series, Giaconda, Penfolds Yattarna, Tiers Vineyard, Coldstream Hills Reserve, By Farr, Pierro, Philip Shaw, Tyrrell's Vat 47, Oakridge 864 and Shaw + Smith. The Yattarna 2008 came second to the Mountadam, and it’s about 5 times the price.

The 2010 vintage of this wine is now hard to find, especially at the old $25 price, but there’s some left at Jim’s Cellars and at Kemenys for $28 and $30 respectively. 14%.

Fraser Gallop Parterre Chardonnay 2011

This is a competent substitute for the Mountadam, also for just over $25. It scored 97 points in James Halliday's Chardonnay Challenge 2012, and finished equal second in a field of 450 wines. Penfolds Yattarna 2008 was the only wine to score higher with 98 points. The Parterre is another class act, a touch more elegant than the Mountadam but with enough white peach and classy French oak to make me think of white Burgundy. Lovely now and years in front of it. $26 at MyCellars.

Pewsey Vale Riesling 2012

This was the stand-out bargain in what was a 10 out of 10 Riesling vintage in South Australia. Flowers, bath powder and fine minerals wrapped around a seemingly endless core of intense citrus fruit. 12.5%. We bought this for $13.75 at one stage. $15 at Winestar and Kemenys. 9 out of 10. The Jim Barry Riesling from the same year isn’t far behind for the same money, and the O’Leary Walker Watervale is another great 2012 for a few dollars more - $18 at Dan M's.

Amberley Secret Lane Cabernet Merlot 2010

The red bargain of 2012 from Margaret River, and there’s still some left if you look hard enough. It won a gold in virtually every capital city wine show, and several trophies. It’s medium bodied but rich and supple, stacked with cassis and blackcurrant fruit, dried herbs and slate, all in perfect balance. 13.5%. Score: 8.5. $15 at Winelistaustralia.

Teusner Shiraz Mataro 2010

Outstanding example of this 50/50 blend from the Barossa, made from old vines, great flavor with gamey notes from the Mataro (Mourvèdre), perfect with roast beef or hearty casseroles. Grab some while you still can. Score: 8.5. 14.5%. $18, MyCellars

Hidden Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

The bargain Coonawarra Cabernet from a great red year. This is the Leconfield 2010 under a hidden label, for almost $10 less. Rich, ripe, opulent cassis fruit, real depth, length and great balance with polished tannins. Big at 14.5%. Score: 8.5. $18, Kemenys

Leasingham Bin 8 KS Riesling 2008

If Riesling has never been popular, late picked Riesling has become virtually invisible. This is a modern version of the John Vickery Spaetlese Rieslings of the late sixties. Many years in front of it. Super bargain if you like the style. $8, Dan M, $10 at Winestar.

ALL THE BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR

KIM