Bitch of the week

I was going to present the best finds from the Barossa this week, but that will have to wait till next week as I would like to touch on a point that will influence all wine lovers greatly. (If you followed the last two weeks tips you should be grateful I am giving your wallet a rest for a week. {Big grin} )

The takeovers of many small wineries by the big four started a few years and recently culminated with the Rosemount/Southcorp merger. Wine retailing in Australia has now changed forever. Its predicted many of the existing lesser brands in the combined portfolio will go. Likewise, as the global village concept hits us, many brands will become more “commercial” as quality decreases and or prices increase. For example, I have it on good authority that the Rosemount “Split” Diamond Label disappears within 2 years. At the same time, the quality of the original Diamond Label is/will continue to slowly go down, but the price will remain the same. More profit is the motive. This is not a criticism, just a fact!

On the other side of the house, the mid range and top end premium brands will rise in price, and you don’t need to be an Einstein (sic) to work that one out. Its already happening, Bin 389 and Wynns Black Label to name but two were increased about 20% last release. And its only going to get worse as many of the large companies desert their loyal Australian customers that have been purchasing their wines for years and chase the dollars in overseas markets.

Do you have to buy “Brand X” year after years and put up with 20% price increases just because it’s got a good reputation and everyone recognises it? You can’t “drink a brand name, a reputation or a label,” only the stuff in the bottle, so the brand is immaterial provided the quality of the wine is there. OK, so what can we do about it? The answer is simple. Don’t get mad, get even. There are enough good quality wines to avoid all the companies (big and small) that want to get rich at your expense.

Use your head and vote with you wallet. There are many new and small wineries emerging. These new guys on the block are finding it increasingly more difficult to build brand identification and gain shelf space in Australian retail shops and restaurants as the major’s gain an increasing stranglehold on the Australian marketplace. Many of these new wines are very good quality or could be considered outstanding value for money. The trick is to find them, and then support them.

I will be concentrating on trying to find as many of these new wines and wineries as possible. When I find good ones, they will be reviewed here for your consideration. I urge you to support these new wineries as both you and the new kids on the block will benefit. I know that Bert at Winestar is committed to stocking as many of these new wines as possible because he wants loyal customers, something that some wine companies don’t seem to worry about anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still some great buys out there from the majors like the Leasingham Bin Series to name just one example, but they are going to become harder to find as time goes on. Stay tuned for more good buys, or is that “good byes” (till next week.)

Cheers