Aussie 2025 Plan

Australia has become the Starbucks of wine. It seems you can’t expectorate nowadays without tagging a sweet shiraz from Barossa or a fat Chardonnay from the Hunter Valley. But how did it get this way? When did the Aussies graduate from cute koalas and Paul Hogan to having a firm hold on the greatest treasure in the wine industry: export sales?

Let’s start at the beginning. Vines were first planted in Australia in the 1830s. Immigrants brought culture, customs and vines with them from all parts of Europe. Riesling, Verdelho, Cabernet, Chardonnay, you name it. Except for a few stars like Penfold’s Grange, Australian wines weren’t thought of with much, ahem, distinction. This all changed in 1996 when the Winemaker’s Federation of Australia was created. This coalition of growers, producers, and industry leaders came up with a strategy to do nothing less than become the world leader in wine sales. Their goal is to be the #1 importer to the U.S. and the leader in world sales by the year 2025. This is called Strategy 2025.

All of this would mean nothing without the support of the government, the wineries and the Australian consumers. But this strategy has become an all encompassing mantra for the Australian wine industry. The government has helped through tax breaks, grants, subsidies and aggressive natural resource management. The industry has helped though massive growth and investment. And the rest of the world has helped by gobbling up mass-produced products like Yellow Tail and Rosemount. The 2025 vision to enhance the image, wine, innovation and growth of the Australian wine industry is a daunting task, with estimates of $1.67 Australian investment needed to expand sales by just $1.

So the next question is, has it worked? By all accounts, heck yes! Wine production Down Under doubled between 1996 and 2000. Exports worldwide increased by over 300%. In no country was this more apparent than in the U.S. The United States imported just 2.5 million cases of Australian wine in 1997. In 2003 that figure was 16.7 million. Australia is now #2 in quantity imported into the United States behind Italy. But with an average yearly increase in sales of 19% they are poised to take over the #1 spot. Who needs to wait for 2025?

Don’t get the wrong idea. Not all of Australian wine is mass produced, house-style crowd pleasers. Much of what we are familiar with in the U.S. sales wise is, but this is because of the styles of wine itself. Shiraz is Australia’s greatest asset, and also her biggest detractor. Heavy in the mid-palate, full-bodied and slightly sweet, shiraz is a wine that most red wine drinkers can knock back with ease. The cheap, large-firm version can be flabby and boring, but probably better in value than a California equivalent. Unfortunately this is what most people think of when shiraz is mentioned. Like all wines the most well known example is rarely the best. Shiraz can be at once fruity and earthy, sweet and spicy, powerful and forgiving. Instead of reaching for that Yellow Tail try something small scale from Barossa like Torbreck or one of the great juices from d’Arenberg in McLaren Vale. You won’t be disappointed.

While shiraz may be the best known grape Down Under, it is hardly the only good one. Wonderful examples of European varietals can be found all over southern Australia. Chardonnay from the Hunter Valley and Victoria can be luscious and decadent. Chenin Blanc from the Swan Valley in Western Australia is dry and racy, with a slight honeyed character and a long life span. Coonawarra is famous for it’s red clay loam soil type, perfect for growing grapes more Bordeaux-like in character than the shiraz from the hot plains of New South Wales. Pinot Noir and Italian varietals are also taking hold as all things wine related are being cultivated at a break-neck rate. And don’t forget your stickies! No, this isn’t Aussie for galoshes or cricket bats. Stickies refers to the delicious Australian dessert wines. All styles are made from the roasted pineapple loveliness of botrytised semillon to the caramel richness of tawnys and tokays. Some stickies will improve for decades, their unctuous and velvety texture slowly oxidizing until they become the wine versions of liquid gold or quality molasses. These wines are highly prized and sought after by oenophiles the world over.

This rapid growth is not without it’s criticisms. How this transformation leaves the Australian landscape remains to be seen. Globalization could backfire if it is not successful. Large companies could potentially move in and buy out the smaller Australian companies, thus robbing the Australians of their own local and global wine identity. Ironic and brutal at the same time.

In the mean time consumers around the world are left to enjoy the diversity, value and consistency of Australian wine. Labor shortages have forced the Aussies to be the most innovative and technology-driven of all the world’s major producers. This has created less individuality and terrior in the wine but much more consistency and quality in the overall product. It may not be a Hermitage, but it’s great and at one third the price, who cares?

Comments

0 user comments. Add your comment for this article.

Winegeeks  |  Articles  |  Wines  |  Resources  |  Discussion  |  Members  |  About  |  RSS