The Auswine Forum

The James Halliday top 100 was published in the weekend Australian magazine last weekend (16th Nov) I have managed to buy 5 of the top 20 reds under $20.
Great bang for you buck. What do the good folk here think of his Top 20 reds under $20. Cheers

Perhaps some introduction would be nice!

I think they might be tasty with spiced ham.

I thought Halliday had enough money without cheap tricks like this... that just makes me so sad... I am going to write him a cheque right now.... its OK James... our money is coming.... hold on old boy, dont give up hope!!!

Sam, can not see why 2012 Wynns shiraz and 2010 Metala Cab shiraz did not get a gig, blow most of the others mentioned out of the park.

What gets me about JH and I have said it before and I will say it again; is this pretentious attitude that we should be paying hundreds more for Australian wines.
Thats ok, if you started life in the wine trade after working hard as a sucessful lawyer and have been on the gravy train ever since, however, keep your petty little opinions on what I should pay to yourself please.

I have a few bottles of the Tabilk wine in question, just as Alistair Pubrick and Tony Brady from Wendouree make a great product from special old vines and choose not to rip off their customers, does not entitle a journalist to tell me what I should be paying.

'Nuff said

Cheers Craig.

phillisc wrote:Sam, can not see why 2012 Wynns shiraz and 2010 Metala Cab shiraz did not get a gig, blow most of the others mentioned out of the park.

What gets me about JH and I have said it before and I will say it again; is this pretentious attitude that we should be paying hundreds more for Australian wines.
Thats ok, if you started life in the wine trade after working hard as a sucessful lawyer and have been on the gravy train ever since, however, keep your petty little opinions on what I should pay to yourself please.

I have a few bottles of the Tabilk wine in question, just as Alistair Pubrick and Tony Brady from Wendouree make a great product from special old vines and choose not to rip off their customers, does not entitle a journalist to tell me what I should be paying.

'Nuff said

Cheers Craig.

Who is 'Nuff? Is his or her opinion of any importance?

Wineries charge as much as they think buyers may be prepared pay, regardless of the considerations of the worth of their products espoused by commentators. I've bought and consumed a few bottles of Tahilk 1860s Vines Shiraz of various vintages including a magnum of the 1995, have a bottle each of 1998 and 2002 remaining but haven't bought any since the price rose above $120. We are not being told what we should pay for the wine. The commentator is merely expressing an opinion of the value of the wines relative to their quality, the limited and diminishing volume of production from some of the oldest shiraz vines in existence.

PFFFFTTT!

I think you are taking the piss surely??!!

I get the market forces stuff, no problem there with supply vs. demand and what punters are prepared to pay...but to be told by a journo WHAT I SHOULD PAY....SHEESH!!
Tahilk can charge whatever they like, but a journo then telling me what i have to pay to get it...nick off!

I am quite happy when wine writers write with some dignity and respect and "may" infer that a particular wine is great value for money and "get as much as you can", but this bloke is the only one I can recall, who on several occasions has stated that wines are too cheap.

As you have alluded to Daz, market forces will determine what the punters will pay, not a wine writer.
If i was a winery I would be mighty annoyed if the suggestion was publicly made that my product is too cheap.
Perhaps the marketing department needs to be sacked.

Can just imagine the public's reaction when they (a winery) inform consumers, "our prices reflect and are based on the comments of a wine writer." Not on perceived quality, past reputation or the vagaries of particular vintages.
Of course when said wine writer is on the payroll and is attempting to increase the shareholders dividend, then its probably quid pro quo. Perhaps an upfront declaration of a commercial agreement needs to be clear.

I will boycott publications of wine writers who continue this practice, and have done this for two years now.

Nuff or enough said
Cheers
Craig.

phillisc wrote:Can just imagine the public's reaction when they (a winery) inform consumers, "our prices reflect and are based on the comments of a wine writer."

I can think of several, Torbreck as an example, where the initial ability to charge astronomical money for their top labels was entirely based on 100 little points from an American scribe whose name I forget... "added seven figures to the bank balance" as they once described it to me.

Not sure how this thread went in this direction but since we are on the topic, I think Halliday's main point is that it would help the overall marketing of Australia as a wine region if we had more "super premium" cuvees commanding high 3 figure price tags ... as in, the fact some rich blokes would pay this would re-assure all the plebes drinking their $2-buck-chuck that it comes from a top region (much like people buying Cru Ordinaire on the basis "all French wine must be good cos the frogs have got Latour etc)...

I agree as a consumer I hope the wineries keep ignoring him (e.g. Wendouree, Rockford, Tyrrell's)

Oh and apologies to the OP for erroneously suggesting this thread was spam.

daz wrote:The commentator is merely expressing an opinion of the value of the wines relative to their quality, the limited and diminishing volume of production from some of the oldest shiraz vines in existence.

I agree completely Daz

Just because a lot of commentators say Hunter Semillon / Rutherglen Fortifieds/ Aussie Riesling / Insert Other Wine Here are ridiculously underpriced does not mean they are telling the wineries to charge more. A simple comment on QPR.

I don't think James Halliday is speaking directly to you Craig, telling you what to buy and what you should pay. He is a journalist expressing an opinion on the quality and price of a product.

Cheers

Michael