6 Responses for "Will Australian terroir finally have its day?"

1. David Berry Green October 26th, 2007 at 8:43 am 1

   One could argue that an exclusive band of regions has already entered the consumer’s subconscious: Barossa Valley (Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre), Eden & Clare Valleys (Riesling), Coonawarra (Cabernet Sauvignon), Margaret River (Cabernet & Chardonnay), Hunter Valley (Semillon)…yet the picture remains blurred due to continued corporate dominance of the marketing spend & direction.

   2007 & 2008 might be the turning point, as scarcity of fruit due to drought, the October 2006 frost and rising salinity levels strengthens the hand of the growers and, ironically, brings terroir & regional expression to the fore for those bottling their fruit for the first time.

   Ultimately I wish the corporate, global brands (you know who you are) would be just that & source fruit to meet their miserable price points from across the global ‘spot market’ for wine & leave Australia’s precious & deplenishing resources to those who can really add value to the Australian brand: the small-medium growers.

2. John Harper October 26th, 2007 at 11:33 am 2

   I found it particularly interesting to ready your irrigation report ‘The Big Dry’ as early as back in Spring and see how this on-going drought really has made such an impact on various elements of the industry today.

   As a complete wine-novice, I have to admit I’ve never even thought to associate wine from OZ with its respective place of origin. It always made more sense to me to associate the wine with the grape it was made from. But having read this along with various books & reports and as I’m gradually learning about the various elements that influence wine as an end-product, perhaps wine should show its terroir as in France (or perhaps both).

3. Nicholas John November 1st, 2007 at 12:04 pm 3

   I think that peversely this downturn in grape harvest and subsequent shift in power inside the Australian wine community will actually aid development and growth of the industry, through the increased prominence of the growers

4. simon November 1st, 2007 at 1:09 pm 4

   Great article, very interesting and a great read.

   Good work guys!

5. David Berry Green November 6th, 2007 at 6:35 pm 5

   Irrigation has enabled Australia to compete, through the likes of the Riverland where vines have been grown hydroponically for many years providing fruit for the big volume brands that have driven the ‘Brand Australia’ juggernaut. With reckless irrigation come above average yields, lesser quality fruit & a diffusion of terroir expression…
   Just heard from one of my suppliers that the La Nina weather system has just taken up residence in the south Pacific, increasing the chances of rains over the years to come – so the corporates may be let off the hook after all. In the meantime pls go to: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/31/2077561.htm

6. Laurel Boehm - Silkwood Wines March 4th, 2008 at 6:17 am 6

   An interesting article…

   As always, weather does have a significant effect on wine quality (and whether the grapes even make it to picking!)…

   Where we’re based (in the Pemberton region of South West Western Australia – not that far away from the above mentioned Margaret River region), terroir has its own unique effect on our wines.

   While we’re predominantly a cool climate region, we also rely on the hot dry summer to improve the quality of our grapes. These features do add to the uniqueness of our wines, and in Australia (much as in any other wine producing country), regionality of wines has a bearing on whether wine drinkers will buy certain wines.

   Of course, for the cheap & nasty bottle of plonk, it’s not such a big issue but you only have to eavesdrop in your local wine/bottle shop to hear people asking for wines from particular regions, just as much as they ask for wines made with particular grapes.

   Laurel Boehm
   Silkwood Wines
   Pemberton, Western Australia