RE: Your top wines from 2006 - Not one from the USA

[jayhawker]

I just skimmed through the other post on your top wines from 2006, and if I'm not mistaken, there is not one wine from the USA on anyone's list. Thus the following questions:

1) Are many top American wines available in Australia?
2) If so, do any of you drink them?
3) If you do drink them, are you just generally unimpressed?

Not trying to stir up anything, so let's not let this post disintegrate into a debate about Parker, Coca-Cola, or the like.

Best,

Sean

[Attila]

Not too much great US wine make it to Australia...I've tried only 3 last year, all of them disappointments, the Viader was especially so.
However a few years back Lewis was among my best 10.

Many feels (in OZ I reckon) that American wines are hyped too much although some of them can be spectacular.
Attila

[Ian S]

A UK perspective. General price to quality of US wines is often a disappointment. Having said that, a recent Ridge Geyserville Zin predominant blend impressed me recently. Average value at around £23 a bottle though.

So I can't fault the quality per se, but the prices are steep here, so when you add extra transport costs + GST/WET to the price for Oz, then all of a sudden it's a big decision to go for a US wine.

regards

Ian

[Billy Bolonski]

Spot on Ian S,

Price is the primary problem. Not quality.

US wines are just so expensive in Australia they are difficult to sell. If you can't sell them you won't import them. The cheap stuff is often know where near the quality of an Aussie priced the same. There is little motivation to buy the US over the Aussie apart from an occasional curiosity.

It is a real shame. I am constantly swapping US wine for OZ wine with a mate from Portland. I have been able to experience some fantastic wines, I am especially in love with the north west coast pinots and rieslings.

Perhaps the US/AUS free trade agreement can be ammended to lower the costs. We should be getting something in return for all that Yellow Tail. lol.


Billy B

[jayhawker]

Spot on Ian S,

Price is the primary problem. Not quality.

US wines are just so expensive in Australia they are difficult to sell. If you can't sell them you won't import them. The cheap stuff is often know where near the quality of an Aussie priced the same.

Billy B

That's a shame. There are many good value wines to be had in the U.S., especially in my home state, Washington. Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle being just two examples, with many very good wines in the $10-15 range.

It's unfortunate that the availability of wines (or lack thereof) contributes to so many misconceptions about the quality and style of wines in both our countries (the road goes both ways).

[Wizz]

We dont get a lot of exposure to American wines, and the few I've seen are poor value for money. An Oregon pinot tasting last year showed this: 1er Burgundy prices, poor use of oak and worth about 1/2 of the asking,

[ChrisV]

I drank some excellent cabernets, zinfandels and pinots when I was in California last year. The problem is that the pricing was, at best, on a par with the pricing in Australia - but the wine in California is (afaik) only taxed at 8% sales tax. The wine in Australia is taxed much more heavily, and anybody wishing to import US wine will be faced with duties and taxes of around 50% of value. Given that there is no established reputation for US wine here (the way there is with Old World wine), a wine store importing US wine would be a "courageous decision", as Humphrey used to put it in Yes Minister.

A shame, because while good cabernet would probably be prohibitively expensive were it imported, I'd definitely like to drink some more Californian pinot, which was often quite reasonably priced.

[KMP]

The argument is very similar to that made about the representation of Aussie wines in the USA. We don’t see anywhere near everything from Oz, and I’m sure the reverse is true.

I haven’t sat down and worked out my 10 best for 2006 but some of the better wines that spring to mind from the US that would make the list would be Burgess Cellars Petite Sirah 1974, Mount Eden Pinot Noir 1991, and Lagier Meredith Syrah 2004. I’ve also tasted some absolute rubbish. Just like every other modern wine producing country the US makes its $2 Chuck and its Screaming Eagle. Depending upon where you site you can praise or rubbish either, or both.

Mike

[bacchaebabe]

Interesting post. I only have a few Nth American wines in my cellar. A couple of Ridges (Geyserville and Lytton Springs) I think, as well as some Canadian Icewine but that's about it.

Personally, I think it's more of an availablility issue than price. The only place I've found that sells any range at all (apart from very cheap stuff I wouldn't buy at Vintage Cellars) is Ultimo Wine Cellars. I wouldn't say they have a large range but they do have some of the better known producers. Unfortunately, their online presence is poor which means a trip to the shop which I don't get around to that often.

There seems to be a lot more wine from South American, Chile in particular, as I guess it is a lot more cost effective to bring it out here.

I would be interested in trying some Oregon Pinots as well as Californian Cabs and Zins as I think these are done quite well but it is difficult to track them down without some effort. I'm going to Hawaii soon so I might see if I can find any there but I imagine the freight costs to there would make them more expensive and storage could be an issue there too. If anyone can recommend any decent wine shops in Honolulu or on the Big Island, I'd appreciate it.

[Craig(NZ)]

American wine gets little exposure in NZ. Aside form Ravenswood, Ridge, Bonny Doon and Dominus there really isnt a lot around.

I only have one american wine in my cellar - a 94 Hess Collection Cabernet.

[Mike Hawkins]

Its hard to get enamoured with American wines. To get a really good Cali cab, you need to spend a boat load of money. You can generally get a Bordeaux 2nd Growth from a good year for less.

For syrah (shiraz), I'd take an Aussie or Northern Rhone at the same price point virtually every time.

And then there's that 'wine" called Pinot............... pass.

[Billy Bolonski]

bacchaebabe

The availablility is restricted because of the price. So you are correct, but the real reason supply is low is price.

I disagree that you need to spend up big to get a good wine from the US. We just don't see enough of the good value wines hit our shores. There is value when you are not paying for prestiege and reputation.

I have had some cracking riesling from Oregon, Washington etc. Petite Syrah can be underrated by the Yanks. Even some of the Chardys that aren't sooo big can represent good buying.

If we could find a way to get them to Oz cheaply I am sure that we would find some decent US wines that aren't stupidly priced. Can't see that happening anytime soon unfortunately.


Billy B

[smithy]

Some fundamentals
1) US viticultural soils are fairly vigorous and new (geologically speaking)and with plenty of water can crop at what the rest of the world regards as high levels for premium wines. You also have plenty of water. Land prices being what they are thereis a massive tendency to overcrop to recompense the initial purchase price.

2) Your critics accept this as a given even if they would mercillessly can it in other wines from outside the US..ie they mark domestic wines way more leniently......a RPJ 90+ for a Cali wine means Diddly Squat. Sorry fact! I would have zero confidence.

3) Nearly All the US wines I have tasted in Aust have been relatively thin sometimes overoaked and lacking fruit (I'm not a PN person so lets stick to reds).

4) Given these historical precedences, why would any importer bring in top flight US wines into Aust when they can get way better prices in the US?
Our choices are pretty ordinary.

5) So thats not to say the US can't make decent red....Some Sierra foothills stuff has the potential to be equally as good as top Aussie...its just we don't see it. Maybe they aren't there yet either?

[Billy Bolonski]

Smithy,

Way to paint a whole country with the same brush......

The same could easily be said of Australia. Most of the Oz wine sent to America is hot climate, irrigated, fertile soil, over cropped quaff from the riverland and riverina. i.e. Yellow Tail, Jacobs Creek etc.

It would be ignorant to say that is all that is produced.

There is plenty of great wine in the US.

As far as critics go, I don't care one bit. But, from what I read most people believe that RPJ and co overinflate OZ scores more than US. I think you have that one backwards. But again, I take no notice of any wine critics and their scores.

Until we see more good US wine and they see more of our good stuff it is a bit of a mute subject.



Billy B

[Ian S]

Smithy,

Way to paint a whole country with the same brush......

The same could easily be said of Australia. Most of the Oz wine sent to America is hot climate, irrigated, fertile soil, over cropped quaff from the riverland and riverina. i.e. Yellow Tail, Jacobs Creek etc.

It would be ignorant to say that is all that is produced.

There is plenty of great wine in the US.

As far as critics go, I don't care one bit. But, from what I read most people believe that RPJ and co overinflate OZ scores more than US. I think you have that one backwards. But again, I take no notice of any wine critics and their scores.

Until we see more good US wine and they see more of our good stuff it is a bit of a mute subject.



Billy B

Billy
I agree - Smithy's comments are a gross over-generalisation and of the wines I've had, I know that an over-generalisation such as that is nonsense.

Thankfully I think others comments are more reasoned

regards

Ian

[Serge Birbrair]

I just checked my CT...USA - 5%, used to be 76% back in a day.

I just don't enjoy much any Napa after 2001 vintage and have nothing in the cellar after this year.

[smithy]

Hey guys, if you read my comments you'll see that I separate what is available here to what can be done.
ie saying I'm bagging the whole US wine industry is a bit rich!

That said, the Cali industry is relatively young, Prohibition and some neo -prohibitionist legislation re distribution have severely damaged the industry compared to Australia which has an uninterrupted history of wine production.

I'll also stand by comments about land pricing in Napa/Sonoma and the rest, and what that does to pressures on cropping levels and wine pricing.

I'll also stand by comments on pointing. If relatively mediocre wines get big points whats the point in trying to do better. Worse still...wheres the incentive if the customer can't demand premium wines.
For the record Australia has very low soil fertility, Aussie soils are geologically old and low in nutrient (apart from the new volcanic soils in King Valley Orange etc)....Its one of our best viticultural attributes.

Our show system has undoubtebly helped as well...Blind tasted, they set a standard way above things like WA.

If readers want to think that I'm just bagging out the US competition..I say what Competition? Quality for Price their stuff doesn't come within a bulls roar of what we can do.

Cheers
Smithy

[Mike Hawkins]

I'm with Smithy here - the quality / price equation is so heavily tilted in Australia's favour its not funny. And I reckon much of the old world is better value as well. The amount of USD50 Cabs in this country is amazing - and most of them are fairly ordinary IMO.

Don't get me wrong, there are some awesome wines out of CA, OR and WA, but unfortunately they cost an arm and a leg.