The Auswine Forum

Is it the trend for Aussie winemaker to make limited production big, ripe and alchoholic wines to please RPJ's palate and sell them as trophies for the American market?

Alexander wrote:Is it the trend for Aussie winemaker to make limited production big, ripe and alchoholic wines to please RPJ's palate and sell them as trophies for the American market?

Some do. It seems to be a sure-fire way of making a quick buck. Whether these companies will be able to maintain customer loyalty as prices skyrocket is another issue. I think it is too early to tell at this stage, but these wines, in the end, may be the winemakers worst enemy.

Some winemakers love to make big gutsy ballsy reds and RPJ has nothing to do with it.

Try some Glenrowan Shiraz from Taminick cellars 02 Shiraz
Bullers Rutherglen Calliope Shiraz 02 or a great big Rutherglen Durif.
This would go well against Mclaren Vale or a Barossa big ripe style.

Grapes go through a green phase (herbaceous) Red phase (ripe red berries and red Fruits) and a black phase (black fruits plums cheeries Chocholate and liqourice.)

I think to paraphrase Star Wars I'm heading for trhe dark side and I don't think I'm alone.

Cheers
Smithy

Alexander wrote:Is it the trend for Aussie winemaker to make limited production big, ripe and alchoholic wines to please RPJ's palate and sell them as trophies for the American market?

Hi Alexander,

I'm curious to know why you ask and does it really matter to you? (The whole RPjr Oz thing and Issue #155 has been done to death recently on Oz forums and by wine retailers/press.)

On last count there were over 1,800 wineries in Australia, my guess would be that less than 10% are making wines tailored for RPjr (some might want to but can't) and some of those would make those type of wines even if RPjr had never happened. There are some Australian wine-drinkers that like some of the big, ripe (but not over-ripe, dead fruit), alcoholic reds, I happen to be one of them.

Given the recent apparent upward trend in RP's support for the big SA red styles, perhaps there will indeed be a trend of wineries trying to make this style of wine. If the USD keeps going in the current direction there may not be so much money to be made though and the wines still have to be pretty good to crack and survive in the premium market. As well as the caricatures (supposed, I haven't tried many of them), there are some pretty fine wines being made that have garnered high RP scores. I'd be happy for the bottom to drop out of the US market for some of these wines so I could get my hands on them at an affordable price.

Smithy, keep producing those wonderful rich Rutherglen reds, they are indeed special and (selfishly) I hope RPjr never discovers them...

Given the very tight state of the retail market, many growers turned makers would not have got off the ground if they hadn't been able to produce a wine that grabs the American palate.

There are a number reviewed by RPJ in his recent Aust edition that I would think are unknown to consumers here and are sold entirely to the US.

If these same wines had been hawked around retailers here they may well have got very little interest.

So are there people making RPJ wines? Hell yes, if you're in the right region for that style of grapes it's an easy way to get started but you always are fearful of "lesser" RPJ points killing off your next vintage as the US will drop low pointers very quickly, they cherry pick.

The smarter new producers use the burgeoning US market to provide the major easy cashflow and steadily work onto local shelves as well. The latter is much harder now the two grocers control a vast portion of the retail market.