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Australian wines need reappraisal
Sandra Shoji / Special to The Daily Yomiuri
The success of Australia's wine producers has
been their ability to adapt to the changing tastes of wine lovers.
But recently, this adaptability has been put in peril by large
companies that have bought out smaller ones, causing a homogenization
in the wine industry. Many Australians now believe it is time
to rethink their game plan.
At FoodEx Japan 2004, Asia's huge food and beverage
exhibition in Chiba, I started chatting with amiable Paul van
der Lee, South Australia's Wine Export Manager.
Asking him what he had learned over four days
of pouring wine for visitors, he remarked that he had seen more
women than men visiting the wine stands. "They not only taste,
but ask questions, and they like to make their own choices,"
he said. "Australia has been a major force in the democratization
of wine in the past 20 years, as its values are egalitarian."
Still, van der Lee finds a clash of traditional
versus modern values in wine, with the guardians of tradition
tending to be elite, wealthy males who have the time to learn
about wine. "However, not everyone wants wine to be a religion
as the gatekeepers do."
In the 1980s, Australia's wine producers "went
to England with the strategy of just putting a glass of Australian
wine into people's hands. Australians are also great story tellers,
so we also sent our most gregarious winemakers."
Today, van der Lee is worried about the dominance
of large wine companies driven by short-term commercial returns,
which he fears has led to a drop in quality. "We have consumers
believing that they can trade down, completely buying on price,
and still enjoy wine."
Van der Lee says wine has a strong future because
of its innate health benefits and its suitability to healthier
meals with fresh ingredients.
"Japanese women seem to have adopted wine
as their beverage of choice. It isn't just fuel for the body,
but a social occasion."
In this fast food world, van der Lee declares
wine an "anticonvenience."
"It takes time to open the bottle, pour
it into a nice glass. The pleasure is experiencing wine's unique
places and small wineries. The future is making your own personal
wine discoveries."
Star Picks: Grant Burge Frontignac, 03, (1,400
yen) La Cave de Vin Belier, Kobe. Tel: 078-393-2777. At Grant
Burge's winery in the Barossa Valley of South Australia, his ancient
Frontignac grapes were destined to be replaced with grapes more
popular for export.
However, importer Richard Cohen, the owner of
Village Cellars, persuaded Burge to produce just one more vintage,
as it suited Japanese cuisine. Burge made Cohen promise to buy
most of the wine. The wine sold out in a few weeks, and Burge
still grows Frontignac grapes.
This pale lemon wine is as perky as a basket
of spring flowers mixed with lemons and kiwi. A few more months
of age will add a honeyed roundness.
Grant Burge 10-year Tawny Port (3,675 yen) Village
Cellars, Toyama. Tel. (0120) 106-876, wine@village-cellars.co.jp
In the 1960s, fortified wines that wouldn't wilt
in the heat made up 78 percent of Australian wine. With the drive
to drier wines, Australian's "stickies" are their secret
treasures.
Burge uses Grenache, Mataro (Mourvedre) and Barossa's
signature grape, Shiraz. Tawny Ports are matured entirely in wooden
barrels. As the wine evaporates, younger wine is added. The aging
wine loses color, turning a golden, toffee brown with delicious
flavors of walnuts, raisins, honey and cinnamon.
This wine always wins hands down at blind
tastings. Fantastic with pear cake, creme brulee, or for those
who like savories such as nuts and salty cheese.
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