Is it really that bad? Is the price of Australian wine increasing so much that you’re going to have to get yourself in full financial working order just to drink the stuff in ten years time? You’d better believe it, according to an advertisement for a major bank, which claims, to quote: “The cost of a glass of wine in ten years’ time could be enough to drive you to drink”. It then presents, in full living colour, claims that chardonnay could well cost $1,460 per case, shiraz $108 per glass, cabernet $147 per bottle, dessert wine $88 per bottle, port $293 per bottle and sparkling wine $634 per case. “And if you think we’re exaggerating, these estimates are based on how much the prices have increased in the last ten years”, the ad assures its presumably startled readers, now assuredly reaching for the Panadol at $5.95 per packet. While some copywriter is probably even now celebrating the publication of this drivel with a bottle of sparkling wine at $55 per bottle, it’s clearly high time for something of a reality check. Sure you will be able to pay those prices for wine in ten years time, some form of viticultural Armageddon notwithstanding. And you can pay them right now, believe me. Many readers of this column will agree with me that certain wines represent great value for money, even at the prices quoted in the misguided ad in question. But the point is this, which could easily be confirmed by the funds management team of the bank in question, that so many vines have been sunk into terra Australis over the last three years that for the foreseeable future at least, you will always be able to afford to put Australian wine on your table. The figures for 1998 have yet to come in, but around 20,000 ha of grapevines have been planted here over the last three years, a phenomenal rate which shows no signs of slowing. To give you some idea of how profoundly Australians are turning to viticulture, the wine industry’s own Strategy 2025, once considered to be an ambitious document, required a planting rate of a mere 1,500 ha of vines each year. As you can see, its targets are simply being overwhelmed. Somebody is going to have to do a lot of drinking, as an onrushing tidal wave of chardonnay is already looming large, with a tsunami of shiraz hot on its heels. And, to reassure you that there is still some great value for money in Australian wine, here are some suggestions of mine, each of which can usually be found for $15 and less per bottle. White Wines Although many commercially priced chardonnays can stifle the joi de vivre of even the keenest wine enthusiast, it’s still possible to find fine, concentrated and complex chardonnays for well under $15, such as the very reliable wines from Lindemans Padthaway, Riddoch, Woodstock, Gulf Station, Miramar, Montrose and Trentham Estate. The chardonnays from Hugo and Ingoldby, both grown in South Australia’s McLaren Vale area, are traditionally rich and citrusy, with a creamy, mouthfilling texture, while the chardonnays of Orlando’s St Hilary label and Victoria’s Chateau Tahbilk, are sumptuous, ripe and relatively early to mature. But we are gradually rediscovering that some of the best quality, value and ability to marry well with cuisine is found in the traditional, but less fashionable, grapes of riesling and semillon. Since these wines are typically made without wood maturation and are often released earlier to the market, it’s still possible to buy outstanding examples of each for a surprisingly low spend. Most of these wines represent simply outstanding value and, frankly, are under-priced: Pewsey Vale, Pauletts, Tollana Eden Valley, Hardys Siegersdorf, Wynns Coonawarra and Taylors. Slightly more expensive, but very cheap for their quality are the rieslings of Mitchelton Blackwood Park, Delatite, Plantagenet, Alkoomi, Knappstein, Wolf Blass Gold Label, Tim Adams, Chateau Tahbilk and Pike’s. True to form for top-quality riesling, each of these wines looks at its best while young and zesty, while their steely acids perfectly complement seafoods and antipasto. Each are however ideally suited to at least five years cellaring, after which they reveal deliciously honeyed and toasty complexity. Although semillon is another variety which usually appreciates several years in the bottle, the lemony, honeydew melon flavours and soft acidity of young semillons from The Rothbury Estate, Peter Lehmann and Lindemans Hunter River make a fine match with char-grilled seafoods. One of our very best value wines, white or red, is Mount Pleasant’s Elizabeth, an alluring semillon with the richly developed toasty, honeyed flavours from several years bottle-age, grown and made in the Hunter Valley. I also warm to the fragrant, honeysuckle-like flavours of the Chateau Tahbilk Marsanne, the grapey and lightly grassy Poet’s Corner white from Montrose, the spicy and musky Knappstein Gewurztraminer, and the flinty, tropical Verdelho from Moondah Brook. Red Wines Although shiraz is one of the grapes whose price is most affected by steadily increasing international demand, you can still find good cellaring shiraz at a fair price. Those of Chateau Tahbilk, Barwang, Huntington Estate, Leasingham Bin 61, Bleasdale and Seppelt Chalambar are amply suited to cellaring, while those from Water Wheel, Trentham Estate, Rosemount Estate, Maglieri, Peter Lehmann, Bethany, Wynns Coonawarra, All Saints, Seaview and Wynns Coonawarra are perfect to drink early. Our best cabernets and blends for early drinking under $15 include those of Hugo, Mildara Jamieson’s Run, Moondah Brook Estate, Andrew Garrett, Peter Lehmann, Water Wheel, Montrose Poet’s Corner, Oxford Landing, Trentham Estate, Kingston Estate and Goundrey. If you’re looking for wines to cellar, try these cabernets and blends: Chateau Tahbilk, Barwang, Huntington Estate, Leasingham Bin 56 and Seaview. Other well-priced reds of great quality and character are the famous d’Arenberg Original Shiraz Grenache, Mitchell’s The Growers Grenache, Metala Shiraz Cabernet, Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz Cabernet Merlot, Rouge Homme Pinot Noir and the merlots from Kingston Estate and Trentham Estate.
