I’m not exactly certain about the legalities of this matter, but when I see a wine called Yarra Burn Shiraz 1999, I do admit I assume it comes from the Yarra Valley. Am I reading too much into a brand name? No way. When a brand of wine takes its name from an already established wine region, I firmly believe it has a moral responsibility to ensure that all the wines under its label actually come from that region. This particular wine comes from the region that would be called ‘Heathcote’, in central Victoria. As such, it neither comes from, nor in any way resembles Yarra Valley shiraz. While I wouldn’t doubt the quality of the legal advice available to BRL Hardy, it strikes me as interesting that when faced with similar labelling issues, other companies have made much more of an obvious attempt not to confuse the customer. It’s also entirely beyond my comprehension why BRL Hardy should deliberately foster such confusion. If I had to make a choice between drinking a shiraz from the Yarra Valley or from Heathcote, Heathcote would win virtually every time.
