California Versus Australia

At the time, the Californians argued that while fighting centuries of winemaking tradition, they were producing premium wine, and doing so at prices substantially lower than what the French were charging. Today Australian winemakers are employing a similar strategy in the U.S., where, ironically, American producers, perhaps guilty of the same arrogance that did in the French, are swimming in overpriced, mediocre products that soon will have no home on the export market. Could the Australians beat them at their own game? Well, in Great Britain, where everyone is a connoisseur of cheap supermarket wine, Australia is about to supplant France as the Number 1 import source, and the growers from Down Under have similar designs on the U.S. market. Closer to home, California and Australia are fighting over the B.C. shelf space that the French are losing each month. The battle isn't over yet, but Australia is taking a stranglehold at some price levels where the Californians either can't compete or choose not to. The wine world has change dramatically in the past decade, mainly because consumers now demand a level of quality that is commensurate with the price asked. That means tradition and labels count for little. The key equation is whether consumers think they are getting enough quality for the price they are paying -- and everybody is an expert. Just ask the French. This week, for the fun of it, we look at two well-known brands fighting for your dollars in B.C liquor stores. From California's Mendocino County there's Fetzer Vineyards, while from north of Sydney, in Australia's Hunter Valley, meet Tyrrell's Vineyards. How do they measure up? Here's one judge's verdicts: The first comparison (it's not a competition) features chardonnay: Tyrrell's Old Winery versus Fetzer Sundial. Tyrrell's is famous for pioneering chardonnay in Australia -- it produced the first commercial bottling 30 years ago. The Old Winery is typical Oz chardonnay, offering ripe melon and tropical fruit flavours mixed with plenty of fine vanillin oak. The wine is soft and generous in the mouth, with nuances of oak. The palate is long with a streak of citrus in the finish. Equally well known is Fetzer's Sundial chardonnay, named for the family's first vineyard. The grapes come from several Central and North Coast regions. In contrast to the Down Under chardonnay, the Sundial is more elegant, with citrus flavours built into the underlying theme of honey and ripe apple flavours. The finish is soft and creamy. Spicy Cajun chicken would help offset the ripe fruit in both wines. Both wineries make pinot noir today, although the history is much longer at Tyrrell's, which again pioneered Australia's plantings in the early 1970s. The 1976 Tyrrell's Pinot Noir was selected in the Gault-Millau World Dozen in 1979, after beating competitors from all over the world in the 1979 Wine Olympics in Paris. The '99 is mostly a Hunter Valley blend that shows good colour and sweet, lifted-berry aromas with just a whiff of barnyard/mushroom character. You can feel the lively acidity along the edges of your mouth. It's more of a food wine than a sipper, so try serving it with a simple pork dish or, as the winery recommends, with linguini, a blue cheese sauce and basil leaves. The Fetzer counterpart is noticeably lighter, but the aromas and flavours scream pinot. It's mid-weight red by Burgundy or Oregon standards, but it's long on drinkability. Look for a mature nose of earth, cinnamon and dried-cranberry/cherry fruit. It's both sweet and slightly bitter on the palate, with soft tannins and a spicy finish. A tasty pinot at a fair price. My final picks pit varieties both producers hold close to their hearts: from Tyrrell's, it's the Old Winery Shiraz, and from Fetzer, zinfandel. The Tyrrell's '99 blends fruit grown at Hunter, McLaren Vale and Heathcote, all aged in American and French oak. Warm, pruny, plum aromas make an impression of cooked fruit. Oddly, the entry is lean, with a somewhat hot (alcoholic) and strong peppery finish. Not as polished as previous versions and more acidic. Disappointing. The Fetzer flagship varietal is zinfandel (first commercial release: 1968), and to cope with rising prices, the grapes are now sourced from a variety of California regions. The wine spends 11 months in new and used (mostly) American oak, and the winery adds 13 per cent petite sirah to bolster colour and structure. Look for a full-flavoured red showing aromas of dried berries, spice and chocolate. Similar flavours, with a dash of tobacco and prune, suggest you drink this wine this summer. It's an adequate red but could use more intensity. Pair it with barbecued ribs. Tyrrell's Winery, Australia Fetzer Vineyards, California Producer: Tyrrell's 1999 Old Winery Chardonnay, Australia Price: $15.95 Stock No.: 333906 Score: 14/20 Comments: Full-blown, tropical. Producer: Fetzer 1998 Sundial Chardonnay, California Price: $15.95 Stock No.: 291674 Score: 15/20 Comments: Elegant, apple/honey fruit; well balanced. Producer: Tyrrell's 1999 Old Winery Pinot Noir, Australia Price: $15.95 Stock No.: 349308 Score: 14.5/20 Comments: Intense black-cherry fruit. Producer: Fetzer 1997 Pinot Noir, California Price: $17.95 Stock No.: 336974 Score: 15.5/20 Comments: Perfect maturation; ready to go. Producer: Tyrrell's 1999 Old Winery Shiraz, Australia Price: $15.95 Stock No.: 457093 Score: 13/20 Comments: Pruny, peppery. Producer: Fetzer 1998 Zinfandel, California Price: $16.45 Stock No.: 234617 Score: 13.5/20 Comments: Dried berries and spice.