‘Alt varieties’ diversifying Aussie offer

Grapes such as Touriga Nacional and Vermentino, more commonly associated with Portugal and Italy, are gaining ground in Australia, particularly among boutique producers keen to offer younger consumers something other than Shiraz or Chardonnay.

David Bowley, “chief everything officer”, of Vinteloper Wines

“Parts of Australia’s climate is much more like Portugal than Bordeaux”, said winemaker David Bowley of boutique winery Vinteloper speaking to the drinks business at the Australia Day Tasting on Tuesday. “In Australia we don’t drink much imported wine so people are having to grow alternative varieties to keep interest. Some of that is now coming abroad.”

Vinteloper, based in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, was founded in 2008 with a vision to become the “ringleaders of grown up fun”, headed up by one-man-band Bowley, who describes himself as the “chief of everything” officer. With a total production run of just 3,000 bottles a year, Bowley produces wines from grapes including Touriga Nacional, Pinot Noir and Riesling, as well as the more conventionally-Australian Shiraz.

On the success of his Touriga Nacional, which he says has been his biggest selling wine in the UK, Bowley said: “It was the grape that brought me to the attention of [UK distributor] Red Squirrel. It was that point of difference, and it is that point of difference that brings people into it. And then they might try Shiraz, but alternative varieties are really brining people in.”

Despite growing popularity, however, such varieties will only ever serve as an addition to Australia’s traditional offer, believes Bowley.

“I don’t think you can ever hope to take over Shiraz as a generic Australian offering but our climate is so diverse and we have a lot of amazing places were you can grow Touriga National and Fiano and Vermentino. That’s why I am working with Touriga Nacional. I’m all about taking a fresh view of things and being a fresh voice and not just to do the same things. The bigger brands are banging on about the same things every year and that could be fine for their segment, but not mine.”

The definition of a garagiste producer, Bowley’s OPN 2012 Vinteloper Pinot Noir is made from fruit grown in the higher parts of the Adelaide Hills from just eight rows, or 600 vines, with just 500 bottles produced.

“I have worked in Burgundy twice and that’s been a massive influence”, said Bowley of his approach toward the grape. “A traditional focus but with a softer touch. One of the major lessons I learned was that they are not so focused on the sanitation details that we have today in Australia. They are much more about the feel of a wine and the spirituality of it and they are all about the vineyards so that’s the other big lesson I took away from it.”

Bowley’s labels are drawn by his wife, who is a trainee surgeon, who he gives basic descriptions of the wine in order to create. Vinteloper’s Riesling for example was based on the world “freshness and vibrancy”.

Tapping into a trend for quirky wine labels, Bowley says there is a balance to be struck between producing good artwork with substance and having a quality wine in the bottle.

“The reason why I like my labels is that I have that personal connection with my wife”, explains Bowley. “They are not just quirky for quirky sake. There’s actually some art and substance behind it. That’s the trap a lot of others fall into. They throw a quirky label on it and I’m sure that works but I think they will have a more short term view.”

Vinteloper’s wine labels, designed by his wife.