Bob Oatley, the bloke behind Rosemount Wines, recently hopped back into the wine saddle a little over a year after dismounting. And like anything Bob attempts, it’s a venture on a serious scale. If you don’t know Bob, think – or imagine — back to 1969. Australians had just begun to embrace table wine and … Continue reading Wild Oatley sows another crop
Last week the Chateau Shanahan lined up ten pinot noirs from Australia and New Zealand to get a little snapshot of the state of play. As the tasting consisted only of unsolicited samples, the omissions are greater than the inclusions. But it revealed that both countries now produce convincing pinots across a number of styles … Continue reading A snapshot of Aussie and Kiwi pinots
The story of how Peter Lehmann rescued grape growers abandoned by Dalgety — then owners of Saltram Winery — in 1979 is well known. Perhaps less well appreciated is that in doing so, Lehmann probably spared a century-old winemaking tradition from extinction. Lehmann had been winemaker at Saltram since 1959. He’d taken the reins from … Continue reading How Peter Lehmann kept the Barossa flame burning
2005 may be seen as a turning point for the Australian wine industry – the year when surplus production, created by an export induced vine planting spree a decade earlier, finally began to take its toll on winemakers and grape growers while providing drinkers with a cornucopia of low priced wine. The squeeze on margins, … Continue reading 2005 review and a look ahead
The Limestone Coast wine zone takes in all of South Australia south of Lake Alexandrina, bounded to the east by the Victorian border and to the west and south by the sea. This unique limestone plain is home to The Coorong, Naracoorte World Heritage caves, the extinct volcano, Mount Gambier, the Robe crayfish industry, vast … Continue reading Winners from the Limestone Coast show
As a Johnnie-come-lately of the wine world, Australia boasts some remarkably old wine dynasties. We can’t equal the 600 years of Italy’s Antinori family; nor the 952 years claimed by my old mate Ferdinando Guicciardini of Poppiano, Florence. Considering the comparative recency of our own industry — and the lack of a popular wine-drinking culture … Continue reading Saltram celebrates 140 years
In 1996, Foster’s-owned Mildara Blass acquired Rothbury Estate, just four years after it went public. Foster’s advances had not been welcomed by Rothbury Chairman, Len Evans. Many small shareholders shared Len’s wariness. With a soft spot for Len’s exuberance and fond memories of the wine-loving origins of the venture, they wondered where the hostile takeover … Continue reading Rothbury Estate — part one of two: the Len Evans’ years
In last week’s column we looked at the increasing phenomenon of Australian wine makers acquiring or developing overseas interests. Spreading risk, increasing total capacity, appealing to a wider audience, hedging against exchange-rate variations, taking advantage of lower production costs and catering for the parochial factor are just some of the driving forces behind the increasing … Continue reading Aussie wine’s global focus — part two of three
Australia’s wine exports may eventually be just the tip of the iceberg of success as our amazingly successful, vigorous wine makers go global. As well as wine, we now export technology, equipment and even viticultural skills to the rest of the world. And the next, perhaps biggest, part of the industry’s globalisation, may be in … Continue reading Aussie wine’s global focus — part one of three
It’s been a big year for the Australian wine industry. The second biggest vintage ever fell short of demand, especially in premium red wine. Exports reached an all time high. Domestic consumption, especially of bottled red and white grew strongly. And, in face, of shortage, prices continued to climb. Premium riesling, so long the bargain … Continue reading 1997 — a year in retrospect