Australia's wine culture on the move

Australia’s wine consumption trends have been put under the microscope with the recent release of a first of its kind report called State of the Grapes, which reveals large-scale shifts in the nation’s palates, our Hunter Valley correspondent Rick Allen reports.

A collaboration between Wine Australia and the Endeavour Group, the report analyses sales data from BWS and Dan Murphy’s and gives an insight into what the wine shelves of the future could look like.

"We are witnessing a significant evolution in how Australians are choosing their wine," says Andrew Shedden, general manager of Premium and Luxury at Endeavour Group.

"Not just fleeting trends, but long-term, global patterns that are reshaping the entire Australian wine landscape.

“From the surging popularity of rosé and prosecco to the 'spritz culture' invigorating the market, consumers are sending a clear message: they want lighter, more versatile, and often more affordable options."

Across every state, there is a clear trend towards lighter-bodied and more refreshing wine styles. 

Varieties such as pinot noir, pinot grigio/gris, rosé, and prosecco have all grown their market share significantly. This comes at the expense of traditional fuller-bodied red wine varieties which have seen a decline in sales since 2018.

Cask wine, sauvignon blanc, traditional red blends and non-vintage sparkling joined shiraz in experiencing the most significant declines over the long term.

Innovation has breathed new life into the wine sector. 

The 'spritz' category (sparkling-wine-based cocktails) has spearheaded this. Driven by Millennial and Gen Z consumers seeking accessible, refreshing and Instagrammable options, the desire for Spritz has the potential to define attitudes towards flavoured and sparkling wine styles.

Value is being prioritised above all else for younger Australians, making promotional deals a big factor in consumer decision making.

Findings suggest that younger drinkers are bypassing the traditional 'rules' of wine and prioritising their personal taste over conventional food pairings or norms. This is changing where and when wine is consumed, challenging its once-dominant place at the dinner table.

Around the states:

Victoria: leading the way nationally with new drinkers and innovation; national leader in Spritz sales; a trend away from shiraz to pinot noir.

NSW: Australia’s leading market, but with less state loyalty than other states, with 90% of sales on wines from other states or countries.

Western Australia: deep loyalty to local producers, with their preference for local heritage and classic varieties; a thirst for prosecco.

South Australia: a growing appreciation for shiraz despite the national decline; the highest commitment of any state to Australian wine.

Tasmania: The highest allegiance to local producers with nearly 20% of wine sales on in-state products, a figure that is eight times the national average.

Image: Elena Pasenko, Scop.io  

Australian winemakers are coming up rosé

 

It is not that long ago that rosé wines were something of a distraction for many Australian winemakers.

A batch of leftover grenache, or shiraz: "fine, let's make a simple, sweet pink wine for the ladies to enjoy at cellar door".

In the wake of the continued success of pale savoury rosés from Provence, however, Australia is now producing rosé wines in a variety of styles; most of them dry, some of them very stylish indeed.

Sydney PR company Blend PR recently week put on a Zoom tasting of four new wave rosés, one each from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, all made from different grape blends, but all super food friendly.

The wines featured were the 2023 Marchand & Burch, Oliver's Taranga and De Iullis Wines releases and the 2022 Yarra Valley rosé from Handpicked Wines.

It is an indication of just how seriously rosé is being taken nowadays that winemakers Nic Bowen, Corrina Wright, Mike De Iulliis and Peter Dillon all joined for the tasting.



All four wines sit at between $28-30 on retail shelves and all are certainly worth a look. The two wines that saw oak, the Marchand & Burch and Handpicked, are candidates for short-term cellaring, while the other pair were ready to be enjoyed the day they were bottled.

The Marchand and Burch 2023 Villages Rosé is a pale and crisp blend of grenache, pinot noir and shiraz from the Swan Valley, Great Southern and Margaret River.

The Handpicked Regional Selection 2022 Yarra Valley Rosé is 100% sangiovese from the Yarra and is aromatic with mineral notes.

Oliver's Taranga 2023 Chica Rosé is a savoury blend of McLaren Vale shiraz and mencia (with fiano lees in the ferment to add texture and complexity).

The crisp, zippy De Iuliis 2023 Estate Rosé is 60% shiraz, 40% merlot, all from the Hunter Valley.

"Rosé really was an afterthought for a very long time," says winemaker Mike de Iuliis. "Now it is given serious consideration. We used to make rosé from crap shiraz; now we make 3,000 cases and take it very seriously."

Marchand & Burch winemaker Nic Bowen agrees, saying. "There is a real push now to make rosés of complexity and interest. That said, all rosés should be easy to drink. You don't want anything that is too challenging as rosé is a lifestyle wine."

Peter Dillon from Handpicked tried pinot noir for his rosés but found it too "tutti frutti". "What we want is to make a wine that is savoury and interesting, and sangiovese is perfect for that," he says.

Corinna Wright from Oliver's Taranga says her wine showcases "florals and freshness" despite being from a warmer region. .

All four wines are thoroughly modern in style. Paleish, dryish and savouryish.

Get some Lebanese takeaway in, and you have an instant feast with any one of the four.           .   

Top image: Agi Gob, Scop.io 

Hard cheese: Australian producers exercise their whinge muscles

Australians are pretty big on cultural appropriation.

It is not so long ago that Aussie wine drinkers used to quaff Hunter Valley Chablis and enjoyed a Moselle or two.

But when the boot is on the other foot, Aussies are incensed. Like when Americans take our beloved Ugg boots and call them their own.

To me it is just plain silly to drink Australia "Burgundy" - a phrase thankfully now phased out - or eat "Cheddar" cheese that has not come within 17,000km of its birthplace at Cheddar in Somerset.

But that hasn't stopped the Australian dairy industry from having a big old whinge in the Weekend Australia about European Union moves to prevent Australian producers from using terms like brie and parmesan.

Brie is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated, while Wikipedia assures me that Parmesan is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows' milk and aged at least 12 months.

The people interviewed by the Weekend Australian whined that consumers will stop buying local cheeses if they are not clearly identified.

One even said: "I'm a third generation European immigrant, so I'm very upset that they (the EU) are taking my cultural significance away from me."

Some serious irony there.

 

I wonder how the cheese farmers in Europe feel about their names being inappropriately used by Australians incapable of coming up with their own Australian names for their Australian products.

After much griping, Australian wine producers had to stop using terms like port and sherry - Portuguese and Spanish terms respectively.  

I simply fail to see how it is fair and reasonable for Australian producers to sell cheeses called Red Leicester or Camembert. 

In fact, I reckon a French or Italian producer should start marketing some Barossa Tasty, or Hunter Valley crumbly.

I bet that would not go down well at all.