Great wine, great value from Australia

By Dan Berger

Australian wine has an image problem in the United States, and it’s all too evident when you visit.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that most Aussie wines are too good for the low prices we are asked to pay for them. That means certain wine buyers don’t believe they are as good as they are. They see the lower price and assume the wine to be modest, when, in fact, it’s actually quite good.

What’s at play here is a subtle issue that I define in terms of how prices affect certain buyers. Most people who have experienced the excellent chardonnays, cabernets and shirazes from here — wines that sell for about $10 to $15 — know they are very good wines and great values.

  But those Americans who traditionally buy $20 to $25 domestic wines may not realize that Aussie wines at lower price points are at least as good and perhaps better.

 The problem with using the word “better” is that it assumes buyers at that price point care about the wine being varietal (true to the aromas and flavors of the grape named on the label) and generous in fruit, yet not fat or flabby.

 One reason for Australian wines being as good and well-structured as they are (they are aimed at the dinner table more than many California wines in the same price range) is that the Aussies have been at this game a lot longer than have Americans.

 Australia’s commercial wine industry began more than 160 years ago; California’s came along some 40 years later. Moreover, the United States suffered through Prohibition from 1919 to 1933 and didn’t really recover to make top-quality wine on a large-scale basis until the 1970s.

 By that time, the Australians (with a strong British connection that appreciates fine dry wine) had long figured out that they could make great wine. By then, they also had established a formal wine research program that was government supported through a taxation system that led to world-class improvements in winemaking.

 That, in fact, is why I came to Adelaide — to attend and speak at the 13th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference.

This is my 15th visit to Australia, and what I’m seeing is a continuing creativity in the wines, notably in the better wines that sell for $25 to $40.

 Yes, that’s a lot of money for many people, but even in the lower price ranges, there are a huge number of exceptional wines that offer great value at less than $20. And when I taste such wines, I often realize that the quality is high enough for the wines to sell for 20 percent to 40 percent more.

 They don’t because of a number of complex marketing issues, including the fact that Aussie wines came into the U.S. market with the reputation of being a bargain alternative to wines from France or Italy. And that image persists.

 So, for example, many of the wines from Penfolds (notably the Thomas Hyland line), as well as wines with the names Jacob’s Creek, Wakefield, Hardy’s and Yalumba, offer superb wines at price points that are affordable to all.

And when I see wines with names like Peter Lehmann, Wynn’s, Wolf Blass, D’Arenberg and dozens more, I know there is great value in every bottle.

There is another reason to appreciate the red wines of Australia: Most are made with •more refined tannins than many U.S. wines. Tannins are the astringent compounds that can make a wine bitter or rough.

Aussie reds typically are made using techniques that craft red wines with softer tannins than those in most other countries’ wines. Yet these wines don’t skimp on the acidity that is so vital to making them work at the dinner table.

 Over the last two decades, I have seen the quality of Aussie wines (which already was pretty high) rise to even higher levels. But prices haven’t risen commensurately.

 Now the Aussies are launching a new educational campaign in the United States called Directions to 2025, which is aimed at telling the story of the sub-regions of Australia and why the wines of, say, Barossa Valley are different from those of Coonawarra.

 As this campaign plays out, we will be seeing more promotional events, literature and advertising about Aussie wines that focuses on the ultra-high quality and fair pricing. For me, this campaign is long overdue.

 Wine of the Week: 2006 Yalumba Riesling, South Australia, “Y Series” ($10) — Striking floral/tropical aroma with a trace of citrus. Dry entry, but with such succulence that it appears to be slightly sweet. The dry finish allows it to work with a wide array of seafood dishes. All of this company’s Y Series wines are about $10, and all are exceptional.

 Dan Berger resides in Sonoma County. Berger publishes a weekly newsletter on wine and can be reached at danberger@VintageExperiences.com.

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