Otago’s Pinot Gold Rush is over
Thursday 10 December
Fortunes were made in Central Otago during the 1860’s Gold Rush but not all who arrived left with their pockets lined and the good times didn’t last.
Likewise, the region’s Pinot Noir suddenly brought the world’s attention back to the area more than 130 years later but today producers admit the honeymoon is over.
The gold might have dried up but there’s more wine than ever. There’s plenty of good stuff still to be had but the global recession has certainly not passed over the region. On my visit, most producers admitted exports had slowed across all export markets. Some have been hit harder than others with one of the first wineries to set up shop here, William Hill (not to be confused with the UK chain of bookmakers) going out of business recently as well as Anthem Holdings.
Success has brought speculators. In 1992, there were only six wineries; today you’ll find over 30 wineries and more than 100 different labels. Many quality conscious producers are worried that the Central Otago brand will be dragged down by newcomers out to make a buck from the reputation they have worked hard to build. Jason Moss, general manager at Waitiri Creek said, “Once you put Central Otago on your label there is perceived value and that is a big concern for us.” Inevitably, wineries outside the region are keen to make Central Pinots and want to buy fruit to produce a Central Otago label and with more plantings coming on stream each year, there’s enough to sell.
While many won’t admit they’ve discounted their wines, they know ‘another producer’ who has done that this year. While this is destined to be a premium region due to its relatively high costs of production compared to Marlborough, which can attain much higher yields for Sauvignon than Pinot, there are Central Otago wines on the shelves for less than £10 in the UK. Matt Dicey, winemaker at Mount Difficulty said, “You are seeing the likes of Majestic Peaks for under a tenner. There has been a little bit of what Marlborough has seen in Central Otago.”
Blair Walter, winemaker at Felton Road argued, “Until the 2006 vintage there was always a market for the small crop at a high price. What we’re seeing is a natural progression from Grand Cru wines all the way to village level now.”
More on Otago in my next blog when I finally get round to talking about the wines.
The Australian Alternatives
Monday 2 November
This week it’s the tenth Australian Alternatives Varieties Wine Show (AAVWS). Last year I was lucky enough to be an associate judge to taste my way through hundreds of Australian and Kiwi Tempranillos, Sangioveses and Vermentinos.
Max Allen is chief of judges and, as it’s a decade old, asked all previous judges to “indulge in some uninhibited crystal ball-gazing”. What will Australian wine be like in fifteen or so years from now, he asked?
His questions included what varieties will we be drinking, what will be the pressing issues of the day and will the export market have changed much?
My first thought was that I expect the Aussie industry to be a lot smaller than it currently is – through both consolidation and a lack of water.
What will Australia be producing in 2025? I certainly expect to see more alternative varieties accepted into the mainstream as we have seen with Pinot Grigio. The rise of varieties better-suited to a warmer and drier climate means the likes of Vermentino, Fiano, Grenache, Mourvedre and Touriga Nacional will be edging Pinot Noir and Merlot off the Australian shelves.
But for consumers to become more aware of these varietals as acceptable alternatives to Cabernet and Shiraz, it requires the big brands to get behind these alternatives and bring them into the mainstream consciousness as well as shows like the AAVWS.
Will the UK be a major export market for you? Perhaps not. Our Australian market offer is still promotion driven and I can’t see us moving away from that unless the government clamps down on those promotions. With an increased number of wine consumers in the USA, the Far East, and Scandinavia this is perhaps a better market for Australian wines. Ok, we do have more consumers who want to trade up to Grange or Hill of Grace unlike many other markets but ask any importer how Aussie fine wine sales are going and the answer is they can’t shift them despite the quality clearly being there.
Yes, the UK is a mature market and we are steadily growing to understand there is more to the country than South East Australia but will most consumers know the Hunter or Clare Valley exist by 2025? I doubt it.
Issues of the day? Doesn’t history repeat itself? Plague, famine, drought, war, the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer. Why is the next 15 years going to be any different? I expect to see GM vines, flavoured wines, wines much lower in alcohol - how about robots instead of winemakers - at least we won’t have to put up with their egos then!
I wish I was over there judging again – it’s the most enjoyable judging week anyone could have: beers, bowls and jam sessions in between a lot of tasting. Follow the show on facebook or log on to The Australian Alternatives Wine Show website
Gris Area
Tuesday 22 September
New Zealand Pinot Gris is a “force to be reckoned with”, according to Villa Maria’s chief winemaker.
Considering there was hardly any Pinot Gris planted in the mid-1990s that’s a turn up for the books. There are now more than 1300 hectares planted – an increase of more than 800ha in three years. Consequently, most of the vines are pretty young and that means we haven’t seen the best yet.
Alastair Maling MW waxed lyrical about the potential of Pinot Gris at a Villa Maria event last night. “New Zealand Pinot Gris is coming together but it is still evolving. It is a very young variety in terms of planting. With vine age, we will see more concentration of flavour.
“At the moment we have to wait late for physiological ripeness so that’s why we have such high alcohol. With vine age, we will be able to pick earlier with the same flavour intensity.”
Germany vs New Zealand
When it comes to Riesling, the Kiwis are learning that they can emulate the Germans. New Zealand has the natural acidity to leave a little bit of residual sugar in their Rieslings and produce wines under 11% - or even 10%.
Maling admitted, “We were not making good Riesling back in the mid 90s. We used to pick the fruit late and were afraid to stop the ferment early but we have grown and we are prepared to experiment.”
Villa is now stopping its Riesling fermentations early, leaving a little bit of unfermented sugar in the wine and keeping the final alcohol level low.
Maling had the courage to put his Taylor’s Pass 2007 Riesling alongside Donnhoff’s Riesling (Nahe) and it stood up well. While it lacked some of the complexity of its German rival, it was lean, clean and characterful. It has high acidity and a low pH, which makes the wine seem drier than it is (27g/l residual sugar). And with 10% alcohol, it ticks the low alcohol box.
If the Kiwis can introduce the consumer back to low alcohol, off dry Rieslings, there may be hope yet for Germany. And yes, I am an eternal optimist.
Boring boring Arsenal and Pinot Grigio
Wednesday 15 July
The neutral nothingness of Pinot Grigio has crept onto every wine list in the country, and has pipped Sauvignon Blanc to the number two spot in the contest for the nation’s favourite white grape variety.
A survey commissioned by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association shows 54% of regular UK wine drinkers have consumed the Gridge in the past six months. It has spread faster than margarine and the shelves are full of it. But it’s as boring as Arsenal used to be.
Chardonnay is still maintaining its number one spot in the battle of the grapes but its popularity has decreased in the past two years, according to the report. Nevertheless Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc have still some way to catch it.
In the red department, our love affair with fairly unexciting grape varieties continues. Merlot remains the most consumed red variety despite the film Sideways giving it a dressing down (some five years ago now – where has the time gone?). When most respondents said they drunk Merlot in the past six months, I’m fairly sure they weren’t referring to Pomerol or St Emilion wines. However, Syrah is on the up and is threatening Cabernet Sauvignon’s second position on the red rostrum. As a Syrah fan, that’s encouraging.
Fortified blues
I’d love to write fortified sales are on the up but it’s difficult to argue with data saying the opposite. The survey shows consumption of sherry, port and dessert wine in the past six months is at its lowest ebb since the study started in June 2006. While consumption inevitably peaked around the Christmas period, the latest figures show just 11% of regular wine drinkers have had a glass of sweet wine in the first half of the year while 17% have had a glass of sherry and 23% port.
For more details on this research, see my article on decanter.com