It’s been a field day for wine drinkers. But Australia’s benchmark red-wine brand, I believe, has never seen such grim times. Caught in a three-way pincer of wine glut, fierce retail competition and a parent company seemingly desperate for sales, Penfolds annual ‘Bin’ wine release hit new lows in 2007. Retail prices slumped to unprecedented … Continue reading A great brand confuses
In 1997 when BRL Hardy Ltd (now Hardy Wine Company, a division of US-based Constellation Brands) announced ambitious plans for Canberra, the local industry, then twenty-six years old, produced about thirty thousand cases of wine annually from about 400 tonnes of grapes. It was a time of great optimism for the Australian wine industry. Surging … Continue reading Canberra wine region consolidates
What’s the connection between Olivia Newton John and two buck Chuck? Yes, there is one. And it’s in some blue coloured wine bottles sold through Woolworth’s BWS chain a few weeks back. But before we discover the connection, let’s meet two buck Chuck. A couple of years ago American retailer Trader Joe’s released the Charles … Continue reading Two buck Chuck’s Aussie debut
Despite a glut sloshing around the world, Australia continues its parochial wine-drinking ways. Indeed, distance — aided by a weak dollar — seems to be a one-way tyranny these days, holding back a potential flood of cheap, surplus foreign wine while allowing the free passage of our own in the other direction. Thus in the … Continue reading Wine review — Castello di Poggio, Musella & Illuminati
Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2003 $9 to $15 As regular cannon fodder in the Coles Myer’s First Choice versus Woolworths’ Dan Murphy discount war, Koonunga Hill’s price is periodically shot down to about $9 a bottle — hence the very large price variance encountered in retail outlets. The 2003 is another solid wine under … Continue reading Wine review — Penfolds, Pikes & Pirramimma
David Farmer — former Canberra wine merchant, in town last week to launch his new Barossa-based business, Glug — believes traditional liquor retailing has gone forever to Coles and Woolworths. Even after the current margin-sapping wine glut clears, consolidation among producers and retailers virtually ensures a changing landscape. For independent retailers that means finding a … Continue reading Farmer finds independent retail niche
Wine marketers will tell you that drinkers shop around: serious wine collectors cherry pick at numerous outlets; casual shoppers go where it’s convenient; and bargain hunters scour the press and web before leaving home – or pushing the button. And wine marketers will also tell you that within the context of the massive liquor retail … Continue reading Dan Murphy reshapes liquor retailing in Australia
If you’re wondering where David Farmer went, I’ve found him in the Barossa. I found his brother Richard there, too. They’re about to re-enter the wine trade. For those who don’t remember the Farmers, this is the pair that back in 1975 took advantage of Whitlam’s Trade Practices Act and liberalised ACT liquor licensing laws … Continue reading Farmer Bros old firm set to rise in the Barossa
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
The sharing of the assets of collapsed Farmer Bros by wineclub-based Cellarmaster and Coles Myer’s Liquorland spells a new era in Canberra retailing and is part of massive change Australia wide