Trade talk: exploring the outback

The evolution in Australia’s wine style has been well documented within the trade, but has it managed to resonate with UK consumers yet?

It started with Chardonnay. The turn of the decade saw a flood of excitable trade analysis about the wave of refined Chardonnay emerging from Australia.

Improved clones, better oak management, whole bunch pressing, wild yeasts and cooler sites all combined with that gunpowder whiff of “good” reduction to create a very different style from the buttery fruit bombs that a whole generation had grown up with. Scarcely had the ripples subsides then it became clear that Australia’s other flagship grape variety was, Shiraz, was undergoing a similarly exciting overhaul.

For all the buzz surrounding this revolutionary shift, any UK consumer browsing the big-brand-dominated supermarket shelves was unlikely to notice much difference at all. A few years down the line, how much of this inspiring new face of Australian wine has managed to filter through as part of the country’s wider premium, regionally focused push? Or is Australia’s transformation destined to languish among the all too many under-appreciated trade “secrets”?

With this in mind, we asked a number of key figures within the industry: Which Australian wine styles do you see resonating particularly well with UK consumers at the moment?

TONY INGLE, WINEMAKER, ANGOVE FAMILY WINES

“Shiraz and Chardonnay are really only the tip of the iceberg. In the future UK consumers will be exposed to a lot more different varieties and wine styles which actually suit the wine regions these grapes are grown in. The diversity of wine styles and varieties will be the key to Australia’s future. It is up to the UK consumer to choose the wine styles they prefer.”

ROSS MAYFIELD, CEO, GROWERS WINE GROUP

“It’s trendy to drink Australian Chardonnay again and why not? It’s providing a new alternative to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. We provide South Australian Chardonnay located one hour from the
Barossa Valley and the style is much richer in flavour and balanced acid than South-East Australian Chardonnay. By 2016 we believe Australian Chardonnay could be up by 30% consumption in the UK market.”

RICHIE VANDENBERG, DIRECTOR, LCW CORP

“Wine drinkers of today are looking to go on a journey of discovery, to find hidden gems in regions such as the Limestone Coast, Wrattonbully and Mt. Benson. As part of this trend Australian oaked Chardonnay is experiencing a return to favour. The consumer is telling us that Australia has moved too far away from the buttery oaked style of Chardonnay wine and it is now our responsibility as winemakers to ensure that we continue to explore these styles.”

DANIEL HART, AGENCY MANAGER,STEVENS GARNIER

“Chardonnay has always been a key offering from Australia across all price points and, despite the trade’s aversion to admitting its continued success, is still a key varietal choice for consumers. Over the last decade or so there has been enormous effort across Australia in exploring cooler climate sites and employing a less robust winemaking technique, resulting in a new generation of clean, bright and precise wines at mid- to premium prices which consumers are enjoying exploring.”

LUCY BEARMAN, HEAD OF WINE MARKETING, PERNOD RICARD UK

“We are noticing trends towards sweeter wine styles in the Australian category, with Moscato up +11.3% by value and growing towards £2m. Jacob’s Creek has responded to this trend for sweeter, fruitier wines with the launch of Twin Pickings. We are also seeing that retailers are responding positively to these changing tastes with more bottles of these popular varietals available across the retail landscape.”

DUNCAN BROWN, EXPORT MANAGER FOR THE UK, EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST, BROWN BROTHERS

“Fruity wines are a category which Brown Brothers has led from the premium end in Australia, where it is delivering the holy grail of attracting new, younger millennial generation consumers to wine, while adding value to the wider wine offering. Consumer responses at tastings in the UK of our Brown Brothers Moscatos, Cienna and Zibibbo have underlined the potential for growth in this market.”

ANDREW STEEL, DIRECTOR, CONNOISSEUR ESTATES

“We do a lot of Australian business and have seen a significant uplift in sales of Pinot Grigio and, to a slightly lesser extent, Sauvignon Blanc in the last year. At the top end we represent Sidewood from the Adelaide Hills whose aromatic, dry white styles and unoaked Chardonnay have been doing well. By contrast, our customers are moving away currently from big red styles, but in reality that will probably come back as all these things go in cycles.”