We are rapidly approaching the point where the only thing foreign about Australian wines will be where they are produced.
“Not more than two years ago, an Australian wine had to have a bargain price to sell,” says Todd Hess, wine buyer at Sam’s Wines & Spirits. “Now there is wide consumer enthusiasm for both reds and whites, even at prices of $25 or $30 a bottle.”
“Australian wines will be a very, very big factor in the future,” says Bud Schwartzbach of Wine Discount Center. “I see shiraz as the successor to merlot as the hot red wine.” Shiraz is another name for syrah, the great grape of France’s Rhone Valley.
Even now, the Australian wine industry can boast of rapidly expanding exports. Sales to the United States have tripled in this decade, approaching $450 million in 1996.
But Americans, it seems, not only like the price tags on these bottles, they like the wines inside, be they whites such as chardonnay and semillon (or a blend of the two), or reds such as cabernet sauvignon or shiraz (or a blend of those two).
“In style, Australian wines are very fruit-forward and user-friendly,” Smart Wine magazine wrote in its April-May issue. “The whites are as friendly and approachable as the people who make them. The reds are as big as the Outback without losing their amiable fruit and warm sunny flavors.”
Sterling Pratt, wine buyer at Schaefer’s in Skokie, puts it this way:
“Look to Australia for bigger, bolder flavors painted in broad brush strokes.”
Sam’s Hess adds, “The bargain-priced Australian wines do have a lot of fruit along with lower levels of tannin and acidity. That makes them easy to drink and easy to understand.”
The producers of these wines are becoming increasingly familiar as well. The leading brands, in descending order of sales, are Lindemans, Black Opal, Rosemount Estate, Jacob’s Creek, Wyndham Estate, Black Marlin, Penfolds and Oxford Landing.
Several of these companies are intertwined and may produce wines of various prices and quality.
In addition, Australia’s boutique wineries are growing in number and visibility. A company named The Australian Premium Wine Collection offers wines from about 15 boutique producers including Clarendon Hills, Pike’s and Elderton.
A good reception
After a long history of boom and bust, producers, marketers and consumers appear to be in the proper alignment for success.
A significant number of American consumers are increasingly receptive to unknown brands from unfamiliar venues, as long as the price is appealing. And in retail stores and restaurants, staffs are recommending Australian selections.
The door of opportunity has opened even wider as medium-priced California wines (once considered as likable and inexpensive as Australian bottlings are now) have become more complex and considerably more expensive. A cabernet that sold for $8 or $9 two years ago might well be $14 today.
The Australians and their American importers, using tools such as market research, have convinced their winemakers to produce wines that please the American palate. They also are showing a new edge of sophistication in labeling, promoting and selling their products.
Meanwhile, producers back in Australia are having a field day. Exports are up 25 percent, and there has been a 25 percent increase in vineyard plantings in the past 10 years. Vineyard and wine technology is the best, or among the best, in the world. Furthermore, unlike California, land is cheap, and a lot of it is available.
(After a short crop in 1996, California expects a large harvest, but no one expects lower prices.)
As for the wines themselves, Schwartzbach says, “The winemakers have listened to the market and are now making wines for the American taste.” That means less oak aging, he says, resulting in fewer tannins and less roughness in young reds, and more emphasis on fruit flavors in the whites to prevent them becoming overtly sweet.
At the same time, some winemakers (sometimes the same ones) are being encouraged to explore the potential of microclimates and low-yield vineyards. They are responding with wines of great depth and complexity.
It’s a far cry from the situation in 1979, when Chicago wine merchant Leonard Solomon began waving the Australian flag. “I got every Australian wine available and staged a tasting,” he recalls. “There were fewer than 50 wines. Now there are more than 3,000.” Solomon also sees a future for sweet wines such as port and sparkling wines from Down Under.
As for current buying, there are important microclimates and regional variations in soil and climate, but Hess says it’s still premature to expect consumers to grasp Australia’s regional distinctions.
What to look for
Among the wines and regions to consider when shopping or reading a wine list:
Barrel-aged chardonnay; sauvignon blanc without oak aging; sem-chard (an agreeable fruit salad of fig (semillon) and citrus (chardonnay)); cabernet sauvignon and blends–particularly shiraz-cabernet, or cabernet-shiraz (whichever grape is dominant goes first); spicy and raspberry-tinged shiraz (a natural for lovers of red zinfandel). There also are value-for-money merlot and pinot noir.
Regions, from east to west:
Southeast Australia: This large region produces most Australian wine. Lots of fruit flavor with a clear, clean finish are hallmarks of the rich chardonnays, soft and chewy cabernet sauvignons, and peppery shiraz.
Hunter Valley: Actually two connected valleys northwest of Sydney whose warm climate produces intriguing shiraz and semillon. Wineries include Rosemount, Rothbury, Wyndham.
Victoria: Site of several historically significant wineries, notably Brown Brothers, Mitchelton, Chateau Tahbilk.
Yarra Valley: East of Melbourne. Shiraz, sparkling wine, pinot noir. Coldstream Hills is one high-end producer.
Coonawarra: At the southern tip of continent. Chunky red wines with memorable flavors. Look for cabernet sauvignon and shiraz from Lindemans, Wynns, Petaluma.
McLaren Vale, east of Adelaide, has about 50 wineries that produce stylish chardonnays, shiraz and cabernet. BRL Hardy and Seaview are there.
Barossa Valley: An area near Adelaide that is geographically similar to the Napa Valley. Look for big but graceful reds from Seppelt, Peter Lehmann, Orlando, Wolf Blass.
Clare Valley: About 100 miles north of Adelaide, produces worthwhile riesling, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, as well as red malbec and shiraz.
Western Australia: South of Perth, this is a center of experimentation with elegant reds from Leeuwin Estate, Cullen and Cape Mentelle.
