Latest articles
3 Feb 2012 by Team Jancis
10 Feb 2012 by Richard Hemming
9 Feb 2012 by Jancis Robinson
8 Feb 2012 by Team Jancis
7 Feb 2012 by Jancis Robinson
5 Feb 2012 by Jancis Robinson
4 Feb 2012 by Jancis Robinson/FT
Australia slows down - for whom?
9 Feb 2004 by JR
Australian
wine may be making serious inroads in the US but last week's annual
two-day Australian wine tasting in London was eerily quiet according
to several participants (though I am assured by those who count
heads that the attendance was higher in 2004 than in 2003). There
is every sign that the Australian wine export juggernaut which
has overtaken France in Britain is finally running out of steam.
All of which inspires other New World wine exporters to Britain
with hope. Could they pick up some of the growth that Australia
seems to be ceding?
American (for which read California) wine is doing best of all
New World contenders, having overtaken Italy as third most important
supplier of wine to UK retailers according to AC Nielsen, and
the weakness of the dollar will presumably only accelerate its
ascendancy - which owes much, but by no means all, to Gallo. Blossom
Hill's sponsorship of the sort of tv programmes my 12 year-old
daughter likes best has done this brand no harm.
South Africa has also been doing well and is now Britain's fifth
most important wine supplier, having overtaken Spain which, however
exciting some of her wines, just can't ratchet up the volumes
of old. Chile comes seventh and sends more than three times as
much wine to the UK than the next most important New World wine
producers Argentina then New Zealand.
There was a time when the Australia Day(s) Tasting was the most
exciting event in the London wine trade calendar. But everyone
I talked to who was there this year (I was distracted by, thankfully
successful, surgery on Nick's back) agrees that now that Australia
is number one, its big event feels as dull as French events did
when France was top dog.
Facebook
RSS
