Having motivated sales and marketing personnel and effective business plans are vital when needing to move products and maintain a healthy order book volume, but the sustainability and longevity of that product or range of products relies on its quality and perceived value for money in the eye (or stomach) and definitely the wallet, of the end user. By Mark Mair
Various micro and macro climates exist in the wine growing areas but on the whole the southern-most areas (south of Melbourne) and the Margaret River wine areas in Western Australia experience a Mediterranean type climate. The big difference from the Old World growing areas is the intensity and strength of the sunshine, which maximises the ripeness and sugars in the fruit.
Apart from the climate, the soil profile also plays a big part is shaping the characteristics of all Australian wines. Terra Rosa soil is found in Coonawarra, 400km south of Adelaide and the coolest part of South Australia.
The Terra Rosa deposit is a 15km by 1,5km cigar shaped stretch of soil, and newer growers into this area have had no choice but to plant outside of the feature in adjoining soils, mainly made up of black clay. The Terra Rosa, so named because of its red colour, is a calcareous crumbly soil which overlays a level of pure free draining limestone, which in turn lies over a table of relatively pure water.
Grapes grown on this soil — like Shiraz — are low in alcohol but brisk and fruity with a fine, elegant structure. The bigger wine makers quickly realised this and moved in as fast as possible, planting Cabernet. Some of Australia’s finest expressions of Cabernet are found here, like Penfolds and Bin 707. Grapes sourced from this area tend to have squashy, mulberry-type flavours, with sweeter, mintier aromatics and a rounded, more developed tannin structure, while retaining an essential elegance.
One big threat to this area is the climate, with spring frosts and rainfall experienced during the growing and picking periods of the vintage not uncommon.
Being isolated, labour is also a problem, so mechanical pruning and harvesting is necessary, which can lead to spoilage and lower quality problems, especially when you need to get the crop off and have tight deadlines in which to do it as the machinery is needed elsewhere.
Boundaries of the Coonawarra wine areas have also been under dispute for almost 100 years, resulting in legal intervention which was only settled in 2003 after three determinations by the Geographical Committee, an appeal to the Administrative Appeals Court and then a further appeal to the Full Federal Court! The Court eventually did the most sensible thing and invited the landowners to determine the boundaries themselves.
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This redrawing of the boundaries included the larger operations, who were then able to label themselves as being domiciled in the Coonawarra area which, no doubt increased their brand integrity and sales potential.
Such is the importance of terroir to the marketing success of finished wines, perfectly illustrated in this Australian example. Bordeaux, Burgundy and areas such as the Rhone and the Loire River Valley in France are vital to a region’s integrity in terms of the wines produced therein.
Such is the historical magnitude and expectation from these terroirs that it can sometimes cloud the wine tasters’ judgement, as they expect wines from these regions always to be of superior quality. Just one mention of an established area’s name on the label can increase the value of the vintage by up to 50%, Coonawarra being no exception, hence the fight by wineries to be officially included in this geographical area!
While Western Australia only produces 4% of Australia’s grape crush, the amount of publicity this area receives places it well on the wine purchasers’ list. The area boasts a high proportion of Australia’s premium wines, showing a distinctive lightness of touch, elegance and subtlety. They are generous in their fruit flavours like most Australian wines, but unlike most, are medium as opposed to full bodied and possess a fine, elegant structure.
Houghton White Burgundy was developed in Western Australia in 1937 and became one of the country’s most famous wines. It started as a dry white Chenin Blanc table wine, produced in the hot Swan River valley north of Perth. A big, golden wine with an intense flavour, HWB, as it came to be known, eventually dominated as the white Australian wine of choice even in the eastern regions. Today it is a soft, lively, almost honeyed wine made from Chenin blended with a Muscadelle, Semillon, Verdelho and Chardonnay.
Outstanding quality The outstanding quality of Australian wine is the big bold fruit flavours that burst out of the glass and follow through on the palate.
This and their excellent vinification methods ensure that the maximum sensory benefits from the grape, the terroir and the wine-making, is enjoyed by the consumer time and time again.
Being the driest continent on the planet, water is at a premium, so irrigation is allowed in certain states, but it is also expensive.
