Raise a toast to Down Under

Australian wines actually outsell all other imported wines in India and Jacob's Creek is the market leader

Australia, from the perspective of 18th-century Great Britain, was “Down Under”. Located on the other side of the world, it took anything from three to six weeks of sailing to reach Sydney, and the island continent was about as far away from the home country as any place on earth. 

So it made perfect sense for England to transport its penal convicts to this land. Between 1788 and 1868, some 162,000 convicts were transported there, and Wikipedia tells us that some 20 per cent of modern-day Australians are descendants of those who survived or remained.

Coincidentally, the first grape vine cuttings were brought to Australia with a convict fleet in 1788, and vineyards were well-established near Sydney within 30 years. Grape cultivation and wine production expanded rapidly around the principal Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth) thereafter. Today Australia is the seventh-largest wine producer in the world with 1.2 billion litres produced in 2015, and the fourth largest exporter, having sent out 740 million litres the same year.

The best Australian wines are simply outstanding, and even medium-priced Aussie labels punch well above their weight, with a quality-price ratio similar to wines from Chile

To put that in perspective, the total wine market in India in 2016-17 was about 30 million litres — including delivering “Port-style” cheap wines that barely make the grade.

Australian wines actually outsell all other imported wines in India — Jacob’s Creek is the market leader with sales of about 65,000 cases (of the total market of some 350,000 cases). Other Aussie wines here include Hardy’s ‘Stamp of Australia’ (imported by Sula); d’Arenberg, Chinkara, Henschke, Lindemans and the iconic Penfolds (all imported by Brindco); Yellowtail (Berkmann); Banrock Station (Sapri), and Rolf Binder Halliwell (Wine Park), among others.

Perhaps because most Australian wines available in India at present are “cheap and cheerful” (in comparison to wines from other countries), they are not considered to be high-quality — as compared to, say, French or even Italian wines.

Nothing could be further from the truth: the best Australian wines are simply outstanding, and even medium-priced Aussie labels punch well above their weight, with a QPR (quality-price ratio) similar to wines from Chile. 

Here are just two of the best Australian wines.

Penfolds Grange Shiraz 2008: 100 points (Wine Spectator)/ $850.

A blockbuster of a wine. To quote Wine Spectator, “The intensity of fresh blueberry and plum fruit holds attention until the nuances kick in, offering glints of exotic spice, coffee, cocoa, bay leaf and mint.” The wine is expected to continue to be drinkable till at least 2040!

Henschke Hill of Grace, Eden Valley Shiraz, 2012: 98 points (Wine Spectator)/ $817

Wonderfully harmonious, refined and elegant, blending a supple, silky texture with a profound level of detail. Aromas of mahogany, cedar, juniper and black truffle mingle with a core of bright cherry and cranberry flavours.

The Langton’s Classification of Australian Wines (www.langtons.com.au) is simply the best site on Australian wines. It segments the country’s wines into “Exceptional”, “Outstanding”, and “Excellent”. The “Exceptional” producers include Bass Phillip, Clonakilla, Clarendon Hills, Cullen, Giaconda, Gusset, Leeuwin Estate, Moss Wood, Mount Mary, Rockford, Seppeltsfield, Wynns, Torbreck, and Wendouree. Whew! And that’s just the “Exceptional” wine producers.

Get hold of any wine from any of these producers to experience what I’m talking about.

As the Aussies say, “Here’s mud in yer eyes, Mate!”

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant