At thirty-three years of age Euan McKay considers himself a late entrant into the business of importing European wine into Australia. Having recently passed his first year of the English-based Master of Wine trade qualification and having just arranged his second shipment of French and German wine into Australia, he’s fast making up for any lost time. Euan picked up much of his infectious enthusiasm and perspective of French wine from merchant Graeme Lynch and eighteen months ago turned his back on nine years in the printing industry to turn his hobby into his business. An article by Bryce Courtenay, which concluded with the sentiment that after decades of failure Abraham Lincoln was finally inaugurated as President of the United States, pushed him towards the plunge. Euan is now a regular visitor to Europe, where he’s beginning to put together a fine stable of exciting wine. What do you look for in wines you might consider bringing back to Australia? My main basis for selection is that of quality, but I’d much prefer to see my wines on dining room tables, rather than bring in fancy labels to sell at inflated prices. The wine I buy must be true to type and interesting. I’ve a range on my list which wholesale (per bottle) from six dollars upwards to $175, so there’s quite a spread. Which European area interests you the most? Burgundy. There’s a definite passion there. I’ve always been mad on pinot noir, hence the attraction to red Burgundies. I love their fruit, velvety mouthfeel, intensity, interest, complexity and balance. And, as Remington Norman (an English writer and MW) puts it, the best don’t have enough acidity to run a car battery. The most exciting thing right now about Burgundy is the younger generation of eleveurs, or wine ‘raisers’, who have not only traditionally learned from their fathers but have been to school and learned to taste more wine from outside their appellation. They’re creating smart wines by applying traditional methods with modern techniques. I’m especially impressed by the wines of Rossignol-Trapet, Hubert Lignier, Domaine de Chassorney and Francois d’Allaines. There are a couple of others whose wines I’d love to get hold of, such as Robert Chevillion and Denis Mortet. A good example of what’s now happening was an older domaine I visited recently. Its wines were flat, old-fashioned, coarse and bordering on having faults. The younger guys are making cleaner, fresher wines with more lift and interest and still representing their terroir. They’re upsetting the applecart to some degree within Burgundy, but it’s really for the benefit of the whole region. They’re dragging the standard up and if don’t keep up, we’ll be left behind. What do you think of Australian pinot noirs? They’re good at the upper level, poor in the middle and terrible if they’re from the big companies. Some Australian pinots have been too reliant on oak character, but they’re now more-user friendly, less rustic and cleaner. But you still have to look to Burgundy to appreciate the more savoury and balanced styles. While some are excellent wines, the premium Australian pinots are also quite pricey. You now find that between the vintages of 1994-1996 the price gaps between premium Australian pinot noir and entry level Burgundy have been quite close. What other European regions do you focus on? The Rhone still offers great value for money with under-estimated and under-valued wines, especially at Cotes-du-Rhone and Cotes-du-Rhone-Villages level, while there are still Chateauneuf-du-Papes with good value too. I like the wines of Giles Barge and Roger Sabon, while the Domaine de l’Ameillaud and the Domaine de la Mordoree are real stars, although I struggle to get much of an allocation now they’ve been Parkerised. Having started with a general passion for riesling, something I didn’t think was going to be commercially viable to bring to Australia, I took a bit of a punt taking the agency for (the Alsatian producer) Weinbach. It’s since become one of the greatest success stories of my portfolio. I recently spent two stunning days tasting in the Mosel Valley (Germany) and unearthed the potential to bring in wine from 8-9 shippers with different quality levels. It’s difficult to work out whether to bring them or not, given the lack of appreciation in Australia for riesling and the difficult exchange rate. I’m hooked on the wines of Sancerre and mentioned one day to Michael Brajkovich (a New Zealand-based viticulturist and MW) that I was looking for a Sancerre that was gunflinty with intense, ripe sauvignon blanc character and was absolutely bone-dry. He suggested the wines of Domaine Thomas, which I hunted down and distributed as samples. They’ve been incredibly popular. What do you make of Australian sauvignon blanc? They’re too green and too alcoholic and get their character and pungency almost without any real sauvignon character. It’s as if they’re another variety. (Hear, hear.) What will be Australia’s next fad white variety? Viognier. I like its lifted apricot blossom and apricot bouquet. It has a generous mouthfeel without being too full and alcoholic and goes well with Australian cuisine. People will start to realise that chardonnay is a wine that can be tricked up in the cellar, but viognier has to be grown well to be any good in the bottle. What are the two stars of your new list? The Domaine Thomas Sancerre wins for the white; the quality for its price is almost ludicrous. The Domaine de l’Ameillaud Cotes-du-Rhone rouge has an absolute more-ishness about it. It’s just not a one-glass wine. Euan McKay can be contacted on 61 3 9589 0199.
