This post was inspired by Lettie Teague’s articles on wine in the Wall Street Journal.

Her comments, were witty and insightful. Sadly a few months ago here tenure at the WSJ ended. Her articles were an easy read and bring to an Australian wine enthusiast an American perspective on the broader wine world , the US market, what she’s drinking etc. There was barely a mention of Australia or Australian wine. It was a refreshing take as my wine reading and consumption is very much based on the Australian market. And what a wonderful market it is. We are truly blessed with the quality of our wine, but there is so much more out there.

In one of her articles Lettie reflected on changes in the wine industry, and the American market over 15 years. It was an interesting read and led me to thinking about changes in the Australian industry over a similar period. 

There has been a move to food friendly wines and with it the emergence of Mediterranean styles, such as Tempranillo, Nero D’Avola, Barbera etc. This is quite a change as Australia, and in particular, my home state of South Australia, has been well known for its Big Reds off the back of its extensive plantings of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Our shelves are still stocked with plenty of Shiraz and Cabernet, but they jostle for position with Mediterranean varieties.

Grenache has a long history, having been first planted in the 1830s. Those Big Reds pushed it into the background for a number of years, however in recent times it has stormed back into prominence, and with it a price to match that growing prominence. Whether it’s a straight Grenache or  GSM ( Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro), Grenache has become front of mind. I love what  SC Pannel, Yalumba and Duval have done with Grenache, that said sitting at d’Arrys Verandah at d’Arrenberg with a  Grenache or in the restaurant at Mittolo with one of theirs isn’t half bad either!

We are also seeing cooler climate Shiraz which is softer and mellower than the Big Reds from the Barossa or Coonawarra. The Adelaide Hills has plenty to offer here.

This doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for those Big Reds it’s just that instead of them being standard fare they have stiff competition from the mellower styles. Who could argue with a Patrick’s or Bowen Estate red from the wonderful Coonawarra.

Pinot Noir is definitely flavour of the month.  It’s been on our shelves for a long time, but these days it’s a real darling of our market. The  cooler climates of the Adelaide Hills, Tasmania, and Victoria’s Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula offer rich pickings. From a personal perspective I have a soft spot for the Adelaide Hills Pinots, with Ashton Hills the standout. Perhaps that’s because it’s only 20 minutes from home. There is no doubt that Victorian and Tasmanian Pinot Noir are our most notable regions with By Farr from the Geelong wine district enjoying many plaudits and to many connoisseurs it is Australia’s best. A region often not considered for Pinot Noir is Margaret River – the Mosswood Pinot comes to mind immediately.

Across the last 15 years a number of new interesting regions have come to prominence with the cool climate regions of The Adelaide Hills, Canberra, Orange coming quickly to mind. They are all getting solid traction in our markets. Again this probably reflects the move to more food friendly styles.

Lower alcohol and no alcohol wines are also becoming more prominent. No longer just grape juice or communion wine but serious producers putting bottles on shelves.

The Chinese imposition of big tariffs on our wine impacted our industry enormously. Across the fifteen years China has been both a  panacea and disaster for the wine industry. China was a huge market providing huge sales for our industry and a market for our bulk wine. Then with massive tariffs imposed on Australian wine imports by the Chinese government stopped the industry in its trucks. Thankfully those tariffs have been removed and sales into China are again an important component of our market.

From a personal perspective, my last 15 years have seen a focus on the wine industry through both my interest in wine and also my studies. I’ve been able to meet and discuss the industry with some of Australia’s leading winemakers and writers. It’s been a great opportunity to learn and understand how much the industry has changed.

I’ve also seen a big change in my own drinking habits. There has been a focus on Australia’s family wine business, no doubt influenced by my studies. That said I have a special place in my heart for Wynns a part of the publicly traded Treasury Group. I’ve also followed the trend and moved from the Big Reds to more food friendly varieties, Nero D’Avola, Grenache and of course Pinot Noir. While on the white winefront I’ve done the opposite and moved away from the newer more popular varieties such as Pinot Gris, back to Chardonnay and Riesling.

There remain structural issues. Wine consumption is reducing, there are other choices, and yes the wine glut continues with grape grower prices in the bulk regions are low. In the last year I have heard many stories from grape growers in these regions as I’ve delivered presentations on financial literacy to growers, however the story of just how good Australian wine is need also to be told. We are blessed with some truly wonderful wine regions, wine makers and with it wines to savour.

My last 15 years in wine have been fascinating and I’ve loved almost ever glass!