The Auswine Forum

James Halliday marks the new entries in his Annual Companion with a fig leaf (or is it a vine leaf?)

This year there were 172 new wineries listed (not 400 as the pre-publicity implied) Over half of the new entries are using non-traditional varieties.

With all sorts of caveats and wild assumptions we can use the varieties listed by these new entrants as a VERY rough guide to where the varietal scene is headed. Well I find it interesting enough to count them anyway.

For those Auswiners who have been too busy watching the cricket or Big Brother I have listed below the count below.


Barbera (4 new wineries are using this variety), Carina (1), Chambourcin (5), Chenin blanc (4), Cinsaut (1), Colombard (1), Corvina (1), Dolcetto (1), Durif (2), Gamay (1), Gewurztraminer (7), Grenache (21), Lagrein (2), Malbec (7), Marsanne (3), Meunier (3), Mourvedre (9), Muller Thurgau (1), Muscadelle (1), Petit verdot (6), Pinot Grigio (16), Rondinella (1), Roussanne (1), Sangiovese (9), Taminga (2), Tarrango (1), Tempranillo (4), Verdelho (14), Vermentino (2), Viognier (16), Zinfandel (1)

My conclusions: PG and Viognier are powering on and so is Verdelho despite lack of interest by wine writers. Maybe Tempranillo is running out of steam, and Malbec is a surprise. The Grenache and Mourvedre figures could represent growers who are losing contracts and becoming winemakers.

Note this is not the full picture of varietal diversification. Established wineries are also in the game. Coriole for example are producing a 2005 Fiano.

Cheers

I had a Pinot Grigio the other day and it was bloody great. Its my style of white that Ive been searching for. I think it could be our big white one day based on what I tasted. Voigner will be popular for obvious reasons {blending}.

I love Petit Verdot and I suppse only aged vines will tell us if our Babera can be as good as some of Italy best which can be outstanding.

Darby,

Have you seen this one? Or are you already a member?

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/winenews050802

The Delong's table and century club are a great educational and marketing idea. I have in fact sold quite a few of the tables on an affilliate basis through my website. I notice Jancis has a couple of crirticisms of the accuracy, but this reflects the fact that vine varieties is not a static field.

The wine Century club lists about 180 varieties, many commonplace and fairly boring, chardonnay and merlot and such. But you would be surprised at how hard it is to say that you have tried 100 varieties. I think if you can say you have done 50 or so you are fairly well educated, I have made a point of seeking odd varieties for the past few years and I think I have cracked about 85 on Delong's Table.

I reckon though that there are about thirty varieties that are not on the table or the century list but they are used commercially in Australia. So I reckon I'm pretty close to the ton!

I worked out the difference now of "172 new wineries" and "400 new wineries rated".