Oz-mosis Clouds the Origin of Down Under Wine

It's utterly amazing how many producers there are whose wines never make it to Canada and conversely how many Australian wine labels we have on our shelves that the aforementioned producers have never heard of.

How does that happen you say? Well, a glut of juice, giant-size, consolidated wine companies and global brands have a lot to do with it. So do large retailers like Tesco and Costco and our own home-grown provincial monopolies.

It's all on the up and up. The monopolies like to deal with big companies because they have the money to cope with our arcane listing systems and the big guys have the money and infrastructure required to pull the wine, or should I say the commodity, through the system and retailers love that. But the result is a shelf mix that is less than exciting.

In new and emerging markets you could argue consumers get what they need. So what's the big deal?

Well, the big deal, in my opinion, is that it is the diversity of flavours, regions and people that is fuelling the unprecedented interest in wine. Brands bring none of that to the table and, in fact, trade widely on our interest in different grapes, different winemakers, new ideas, incredible vineyard sites, passion and much more, to sell their wines.

When I see what's available in Australia and what we are selling here, I wonder what the real long term strategy is for Oz. What's more bizarre is Australia's insistence on selling diversity and regionality versus a retailer's insistence on flogging "Brand Australia," complete with kangaroos, dingos, wombats and boomerangs.

During last year's Playhouse wine bash, Oz officials said the "New" Australia would tell the story of the Hunter River, not New South Wales. The focus would be about the Eden, Clare and Barossa Valleys, not South Eastern Australia. They would talk pinot noir from Tasmania and cabernet sauvignon from the Margaret River. But will there be any consumers left in the Australian section to listen?

The French went from owning half the import market in the early 1990s to clinging to a mere 10 per cent today. Their brands were swept aside by Robert Mondavi and Co. who positioned California as premium producer of New World varietal wines. Today's California section is awash in brands recently defeated by an onslaught of interesting Australia labels now being recklessly replaced by big brands and so it goes.

Predicting the future maybe a sophisticated business but, myself, I go to barbecues and weekend parties and watch what consumers are drinking.

I see less chardonnay and less shiraz and more malbec and more southern French blends. I see a bit more Spain, Argentina, France and Italy and a bit less Australia and California. I see fewer brands and a few more interesting labels from small producers. It's not a landslide, but neither was the move away from French wine back in the early 1990s.

Today we celebrate diversity in shiraz and syrah and hope the Australians get their message across before retailers and consumers move on.

There's plenty to admire in the MadFish Shiraz 2004, a rare listing from Western Australia. At $17 its smoky, earthy, spicy, black cherry, mineral flavours over-deliver. This is bargain.

Okay, the Laroche Syrah 2003 isn't from Australia, but it's a good example why everyone has to stay on their toes. At $18, this fully mature, southern syrah from Languedoc, owned by Michel Laroche of Chablis fame, has soft, grainy tannins and warm spicy, peppery, plum fruit flavours with just a hint of vanilla to soften its edges. Perfect with grilled meats or poultry. Available in select private wine shops only.

The Penfolds Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2005 is a made from select parcels of South Australian fruit, but the label is gravitating toward a permanent Adelaide and environs appellation. The fruit is matured in French and American oak for 10 to 15 months lending the palate a lovely pepper quality with dense, dried plums and blueberry fruit flavours.

Bits of spicy oak, licorice and savoury chocolate give the wine wide appeal.

New from Margaret River region is the Sandalford Shiraz 2003 with its smoky, vanilla, blackberry nose and coffee, black cherry, mocha, and cedar flavours. You can cellar this or serve now with roasted meats.

Mas des Aveylans Cuvée Prestige Syrah 2004 may be new to the province, but it's been garnering global interest for a while. Look for big, juicy, sweet, black fruit flavours. It's extremely glossy and smooth with ripe fruit. There are no spicy, meaty characters, but many will applaud its style. A real crowd pleaser. Available in select private wine shops only.

Known as the "anti-Grange," Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2004 is a single-region (Barossa) shiraz that is aged in French oak only -- 69 per cent new and 31 per cent is one year old.

The colour is opaque; the nose, an enticing mix of aromatic, dark-red fruits with a blueberry undercurrent. More finesse than power makes this a very fine RWT. It will keep easily for two decades or more.

LAROCHE SYRAH 2003, VIN DE PAYS D'OC, LANGUEDOC, FRANCE
Price: $18 - $21, private wine stores only
UPC: 03546680013345
Score: 87/100
Remarks: A warm red with spicy, peppery, plum fruit flavours.

THOMAS HYLAND SHIRAZ 2005, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Price: $18.50
UPC: 012354071988
Score: 88/100
Remarks: Dense plummy, blueberry fruits with licorice and savoury chocolate.

SANDALFORD SHIRAZ 2003, MARGARET RIVER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Price: $30
UPC: 09312175041032
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Vanilla, coffee, black cherry, coffee flavours.

MAS DES AVEYLANS CUVEE PRESTIGE SYRAH 2004, LANGUEDOC, FRANCE
Price: $29.90 private wine shops only
UPC: 03432510000060
Score: 90/100
Remarks: It's extremely glossy and smooth. A real crowd pleaser.

PENFOLDS RWT SHIRAZ 2004, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Price: $122
UPC: 012354072602
Score: 93/100
Remarks: This is a very fine RWT -- to be considered among the best reds made at Penfolds.