Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story

From Kanga Rouge to Kangarouge

Monday 2 September 2019
Kanga Rouge 1978 label

The rapid evolution of Australia's wine exports. China is today's saviour of the country's wine industry. Where next?

‘It’s not dead', says Oz Clarke hopefully as he eases the cork in one piece from his precious bottle of 1978 Kanga Rouge Coonawarra Shiraz.

‘This', he says, clutching the bottle he’s been waiting 40 years to open, ‘is a moment that has got triumph and disaster writ large upon it in pretty much equal measure.’

His hopeful smile begins to fade as he pours the Shiraz into two glasses and sees the brown, muddy colour of the wine. He sniffs, and the smile becomes a...

Become a member to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 288,950 wine reviews & 15,879 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 288,950 wine reviews & 15,879 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 288,950 wine reviews & 15,879 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 288,950 wine reviews & 15,879 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Max on Oz

Project 5255 vintage 2022 winemakers
Max on Oz In South Australia, giving away grapes turns out to make good business sense. Above, winemakers involved in Project 5255, vintage...
Australia 2023 total crush by grape colour
Max on Oz This column marks ten years of Max Allen’s contributions to JancisRobinson.com. His first regular article, on Australia’s next generation of...
The Goulburn River spilled over its banks, flooding the vineyards at Tahbilk.
Max on Oz Floods and drought collide in eastern Australia. The last time the cellars flooded at Mitchelton was 1974, just after the...
Screwcaps
Max on Oz Do screwcaps preserve wines during a glorious evolution, or stunt their development? In 1977, when Clare Valley winemaker Andrew Mitchell...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Kim Chalmers
Free for all Kim Chalmers of Chalmers Wine and Chalmers Nursery in Victoria is no stranger to JancisRobinson.com. She was an important influence...
Samuel Billaud by Jon Wyand
Tasting articles The second of our alphabetically organised tasting articles compiling reviews of the young burgundy 2024s tasted by Matthew in the...
winemaker Franck Abeis and owner Eva Reh of Dom Bertagna
Tasting articles The first of our complete, finalised, alphabetically organised tasting articles collating reviews of all the young burgundy 2024s tasted by...
London Shell Co trio
Nick on restaurants A winning combination in North London beguiles Nick, who seems to have amused the trio behind it. Above, left to...
J&B Burgundy tasting at the IOD in Jan 2026
Free for all What to make of this exceptional vintage after London’s Burgundy Week? Small, undoubtedly. And not exactly perfectly formed. A version...
SA fires by David Gass and Wine News in 5 logo
Wine news in 5 Also: the WHO calls for raised alcohol taxes; more tariff drama; Champagne sales decline, and protests continue at Moët Hennessy...
The Marrone family, parents and three daughters
Wines of the week An incredibly refreshing Nebbiolo from a sustainably-minded family that sells for as little as €17.50, $24.94, £22.50. - - -...
Ryan Pass
Tasting articles Some promising representatives of the next generation of California wine brands. Above, w inemaker Ryan Pass of Pass Wines (photo...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.