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New Releases from Australia, Part 2
At this point Im beginning to feeland probably soundlike a broken record, but the message just doesnt seem to be getting out that stereotyping Australian wine is as ridiculous as referring to European wine. The two geographic regions are just as vast, and nearly as diverse. Discussing a vinho verde from the north of Portugal or a riesling from the Saar in the same breath as an aglianico from Campania would be absurd, but this is precisely how most American wine lovers view Australia.What this climatic diversity means to adventurous winos is the opportunity to do some highly rewarding sleuthing around a category that remains largely uncharted outside Australia. In fact, its not so much an opportunity as an obligation, as even the largest retail outlets in the U.S. weight their Australian departments heavily toward the full-throttle red wines of South Australia, especially those from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. But most reports from the field say that this category is in a serious slump right now, with names that created buying frenzies in the late 1990s and early 2000s now languishing on the shelves or in warehouses. As the American palate shifts away from high-alcohol, high-oak wines of all colors, this categorys slump is only natural.
On the other hand, and on a brighter note, more Australian wines from the countrys cooler growing regions are beginning to sneak into the market thanks to aggressive, mostly small specialist importers. Fingers are crossed Down Under that steady headway can be made to educate the all-important American market to appreciate that Australia is not a single-region, single-variety, one-style, one-hit wonder.
This issues coverage supplements the hundreds of wines reviewed in Issue 139. The latest set of wines was tasted in New York this summer as well as during my trip to southern Australia in late June.
Show all the wines (sorted by score)
- Andrew Hardy
- Aramis Vineyards
- Betts & Scholl
- Bindi Wines
- Blackbilly Wines
- Bleasdale Estate
- Bowen Estate
- Brokenwood
- Burge Family Winemakers
- Cape Barren
- Cascabel Winery
- Charles Melton Wines
- Cirillo Estate Wines
- Clarendon Hills
- Clonakilla Wines
- Coates Wines
- Coriole Vineyards
- Craiglee Vineyard
- d'Arenberg
- De Bortoli Wines
- Devil's Corner
- Dog Ridge Wine Company
- Elderton Wines
- Eppalock Ridge Winery
- Fire Block
- First Drop Wines
- Flinders Bay
- Flinders Run
- Fox Gordon
- Frankland Estate
- Giaconda Wines
- Grant Burge Wines
- Grosset Wines
- Heathcote II
- Henschke
- Hentley Farm Wines
- Hewitson
- Hill of Content
- III Rings
- Jasper Hill
- Jim Barry Wines
- Joseph
- Katnook Estate
- Kay Brothers Amery
- Koonowla Wines
- Kooyong
- Kurtz Family Vineyards
- Longwood
- Mac Forbes Wines
- Margan Family Winegrowers
- Marquis Philips
- Mitolo Wines
- Nugan Estate
- Old Plains
- Oliverhill Winery
- Parker Coonawarra Estate
- Passing Clouds Vineyard
- Pearson Vineyards
- Penfolds
- Penley Estate
- Petaluma
- Peter Howland Wines
- Picardy
- Pikes Vintners
- Pikkara
- Plantagenet Wines
- Primo Estate
- Reilly's
- RockBare
- Rocky Gully
- Rosemount Estate
- Ross Estate
- R Wines
- Shaw + Smith
- Small Gully
- Spinifex
- Steve Hoff Wines
- Syan
- Tait
- Tamar Ridge
- The Colonial Estate
- The Old Faithful
- The Story Wines
- The Wishing Tree
- Thorn-Clarke Wines
- Tir Na N'Og
- Torbreck Vintners
- Torzi Matthews Vintners
- Trust
- West Cape Howe
- Wildberry Estate
- Wilson Gunn
- Wine by Some Young Punks
- Wirra Wirra Vineyards
- Wolf Blass Wines
- Yalumba
- Yarraman Estate
- Yarra Yering
- Yering Station