A week of bliss and hard work

I have just returned from a week in South Australia visiting McLaren Vale, the Barossa and Clare. If you are interested in reading the very long whole story, click here …… and don’t bother going any further with this section of the Journal, but have a look at the wine for sale, Bert needs the money.  If not, I will try and hit a few of the high (and low) points in this Journal.

Its going to be very hard to find many good 2000 vintage wines from the areas I visited, but there are a few around if you look hard enough. 2001 was vintage that was needed by the industry but I am not as enthusiastic as many others about this year. Yes 2001 is good, but I doubt that it will turn out to be another 1996. Even with the volumes being down in the premium growing area, 2002 was very good in the Barossa and Clare, but I am willing to guess that 2002 in McLaren Vale will become a standout. That’s a big prediction and time will tell if I have to eat humble pie again.

Of the big four, once again Orlando proved to be the standout for value at the top end. The 97 Lawson, 96 Centenary Hill and 99 St Hugo are all terrific wines and as good as their predecessors.

The industry continues to be deluged by many new producers who are trying to gain a foothold in the market. Unfortunately many just don’t have the goods or the potential to survive, but there are some very good operations out there that represent value for money and have produced quality credible wines. If you read the whole story, you can see who I think the up and coming new guys are, but Sylvan Springs, Kurtz, Twelve Staves, Cascabel and Olivers Hill should all do well for different reasons. Many of the mid sized wineries are continuing to do good things year in and year out.

Whilst we are talking about value for money, there are a lot of producers that have delusions of adequacy when pricing their wines. The price spiral continues to escalate faster than you can say, “you want how ^%$# much for that wine?” There is no doubt that many wineries are going to have trouble moving inventory over the next few years, and that hopefully will be good news for wine buyers. The large corporate companies may be able to hold on a bit longer then the smaller guys, but they will wind up having to move the inventory eventually and when that happens, there will be some great deals around.

As an aside, if any of you are wondering what to do for your next holiday, a tour around our wine regions is a great way to spend a holiday. It’s very hard to be anything other than totally relaxed when all you have to worry about is what winery you will visit next. It’s also a pretty inexpensive holiday for those on a strict budget, (just keep your partners out of the antique shops.)

There also seems to be an increasing concern from the winemakers about the use of corks and the need to find a better solution. In many ways, that’s because people like us are becoming more educated and returning corked and oxidised bottles to the wineries. The word is starting to spread and pressure is building, so keep sending back those dud bottles.

I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I did trying all the wines. Please remember, these reviews are just one person’s opinion on one day and you should make up your own mind about what you like and what you dislike.

Cheers

Ric