Shadowing the Australian Wine Industry
Editorial opinions, research and synthesis by Tony Keys.
The Tony Keys witty and sometimes sardonic opinion of the past week’s occurrences in the world of wine.
Tax and sin The UK Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) recently put forward the suggestion that “sin taxes” have cost the UK Treasury £31 billion ($52 billion) in the past five years through black market trade and lost income tax. As with various health lobbies around the world, the figures support the argument that the alliance wants […]
Thursday November 24 is Thanksgiving Day in the US, when people come together to give thanks for the harvest. Pennsylvania-based wine writer Paul Vigna asked several local merchants what wines they would recommend to go with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Out of the 10 recommendations, six were French, one Italian, one Austrian, one Australian and only […]
Californian push Last week I proposed that the Californian push to get its wine exports to the UK up to US$400 million ($530 million) by 2020 would require it to tackle the sub-£10 ($16.50) market to succeed. I made this claim despite the Californian Wine Institute saying it was after the above-£10 sector. If California […]
The biggest news this week is the US presidential election. It should be decided by the time TKR is published. It may seem unbelievable to Australians but at the time of writing (Monday) Donald Trump is eight points in front of Hillary Clinton in a poll asking who is the most honest. Mr Trump more […]
I note the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) annual general meeting (AGM) is coming up (November 15). Part of the proceedings will be the announcement of the appointment of WFA president and directors for 2016-17. President since 2012 has been Mr Tony D’Aloisio AM. Will he be reappointed? And does he want to be reappointed? […]
Ashley Ratcliff, a 14-year veteran of Yalumba, has resigned to follow his own path. Ratcliff is not dissatisfied. He says: “I was given the opportunity to commence a wonderful and exciting journey with one of the greatest wine companies in the world… Yalumba. Starting in a viticulture position, I moved on to managing the Oxford […]
UK news Several snippets of drinks-related news from the UK prompted me to shape this week’s editorial around the action there. The Association of Wine Educators (AWE) is calling for submissions for the 2017 edition of 100 AWEsome Wines. I would be delighted to contribute some Australian suggestions should I get samples of wines that […]
It can only be good for wine in general that a Chinese wine tasting group has come first in the fourth La Revue du Vin de France world blind tasting championship, held in France. The Chinese need their own Robert Parker, Jancis Robertson or James Halliday. This win will be a confidence booster and may […]
Week off? Was it great having a week off? Yes and no. I went to Melbourne for four days and had a ball. The rest of the time I was working to catch up with domestic and garden jobs. I return to work at TKR knackered. Meanwhile, the world continues to revolve around the sun […]
Congratulations to Silos Estate for raising $32,000 at this this year’s Quackfest. The total raised over three years is close to $100,000. Proprietors Rajarshi and Sophie Ray said: “With this, so far we have contributed to 51 kids going to university and TAFE who would not normally have been able to do so (funding is ongoing).” […]
Export battle Australian wine exports are on the up. This is worth applauding, but it’s a long, drawn-out war and the battles will continue. I use the word “battle”, as the basis of my thoughts is the adage about how winning a battle is not the same as winning a war. The time has come […]
The colourful ducks above are advertising Quackfest. One of the sponsors is Silos Estate from Berry, NSW. Quackfest raises money for education, homelessness and domestic violence issues in the Shoalhaven region. Silos proprietors Rajarshi and Sophie say: “This year we seem to have stepped up a level – with the support of the State Premier, […]
Planning the next move Wine industry specialist lawyer Will Taylor is on his annual roadshow around the regions. The ABC interviewed Taylor while he was in the Hunter Valley. The interview focused on succession planning, and it was all sound advice, including this: “The Australian wine industry is made up by a huge number of […]
Two large articles this week: one on the Treasury Wine Estates year end, which can be found in the Australian Wine News section, and the other on the latest export figures for New Zealand wines, which is in International Wine News. News on the street is that Casella is sniffing around McLaren Vale with the […]
The red flag On Sunday the Coonawarra gang flew the red flag and showed its wares in Brisbane. The event was packed, at times too packed. There were many great wines on show. I made it there late, due to a pile-up on the Pacific Highway, but I did manage to taste several excellent straight […]
The editor’s note from The Conversation, August 9:
“Australia as a whole has become wealthier in recent decades, but this has also come with a marked increase in wealth inequality. With the poorest 40 per cent of the population effectively having no wealth at all, and the top 1 per cent having at least 15 per cent of the nation’s wealth.”
This reminded me of walking into my local Dan Murphy’s. A huge section of the store – maybe 40 per cent, maybe not as much – is taken up with wines that are economically priced. There is a lot of talk about trading up, single sites, premium and icon wines, but at the end of the day there is more than enough fine wine for the 1 per cent, and more than enough cheap wine for the 40 per cent, providing they have enough spare cash to buy it.
A report on Radio National’s breakfast show by Cathy Van Extel on August 9 was titled,“Australian wine industry questions integrity of wine ratings”.
The lead:
“In an increasingly competitive wine market, retailers and producers are heavily promoting ratings from wine critics in an effort to influence consumers. But there’s growing concern within the industry about the integrity of these wine scores.”
Listen here Read more about Disproportion in wealth & Dan Murphy’s …
I’ve had some interesting exchanges with readers this past week, and even with a non-reader. I have been trying to ascertain who wants to sponsor TKR. When I sent out the original outline for the new-format TKR, many responded “yes” or “no” to sponsorship, with or without an advert or listing. Needless to say, my […]
Too young I was very sad to hear of the death of Matteo (Matt) Zema on Saturday, July 23, at his home in Melbourne, aged 56 years. I only know the Zema family slightly, but the dealings I have had with them have always been easy and friendly. Their wines are always of a high […]
USA today The discussion about Australian wine representation on American wine lists continued over the past week. To recap, I thought a top-notch New York restaurant’s Australian selection was not good. US-based Australian wine expert Chuck Hayward said it was better than most. Sergio Carlei from Carlei Wines in the Yarra Valley disagreed with Chuck […]
Stars and gripes Unwittingly I have set off an exchange of views on what is, or is not, a good representation of Australian wines on American wine lists. It started when by chance I came across the wine list of 21 Club, 21 West 52nd Street, New York. Curiosity took me to the Australian section […]
TK heads south I’ve booked to attend the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia Outlook Conference in Adelaide on July 25. I arrive in town on the 24th and depart early on the 26th, which means I am free on two nights. I have posted on Facebook and already a couple of people are interested in catching […]
Brexit isn’t the half of it Those who have a Facebook connection with me will be aware I am not in favour of the UK leaving Europe (Brexit). That aside, as I made clear in my Facebook post, we follow the democratic rule and those in favour of leaving won. For those who pointed out […]
Statements from the WFA, Corrina Wright and Frankland Tate After weeks of urging the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) to make a statement about the wine equalisation tax (WET) and what might define a winery, I received an email from WFA president Tony D’Aloisio: “In this week’s Key Report [June 16] you run a headline […]
Good news from McLaren Vale There is no denying that plenty of issues are causing upset and confusion in the wine industry at the moment, but there are also people who are just getting on with life despite the hurdles. Among them is the Leask family, which owns the Hither & Yon brand based in […]
My remarks last week on the wine equalisation tax (WET) situation and the role of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) inspired a string of comments, which can be seen here The first response came from Andrew Wilsmore, head of risk and reputation, Endeavour Drinks Group (Woolworths). He argues there are plenty of licensed premises […]
Roll out the barrel It was a good move by Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) to announce the release for sale of special barrels of Penfolds wine just before Vinexpo. From July 1 consumers can buy a barrel for $198,000. They then form a bond with the brand, choosing how they want the wine bottled, and […]
Columns crumbling Wine columns in Australian newspapers and magazines have been in decline for some time. Those that remain have in the main been reduced in size or frequency. Being brutal, one can understand why. Far fewer read them than the writers like to admit, and the standard wine review is not difficult to write, […]
WET, weak as water: Its treading water time as far as WET is concerned. The Winemakers Federation is issuing soothing words saying all will be sorted but many wine producers are concerned, they fear the reduction will drive them out of business. We present some of the concerns in the Australian Wine News sector. Queen […]
Sun, WET, doom and hypocritical drivel The sun is shining on Sunday afternoon after a morning spent in the garden. I’m showered, relaxed and tempted to have a glass or two of wine with lunch, but must refrain for a few hours, as there are words to be written, then dinner with friends. Such a […]
A great deal has been said about Australian free trade agreements (FTA) with Japan and China, not only by state and federal governments but also the wine industry. China has been especially good for the industry, as this quote from the latest Wine Australia export report, to end of March, shows: “The China-Australia Free Trade […]