Will the Barbarians stop at nothing?

March 2017 Update

I’m almost afraid to look these days, in case Max’s collection has grown more garish. Sadly, it has. The range has grown more numerous as well. The wines must be a hit with the punters, perhaps because they leap out from the shelves with their awful packaging. I can’t help wondering how Max Schubert would feel about having his name stuck on these ghastly bottles of ordinary reds. I reckon he’d turn over in his grave and avert his eyes. Peter Gago, hang your head in shame.

Yes, the reds are ordinary. I haven’t tasted them because I refuse to touch these offensive wares or pay money for them, but the guys at the Wine Front have reviewed a few of them. Their scores are in the high 80s, and this is for $35 reds from Penfolds. I can’t find any other reviews of these wines, which is curious for Penfolds wines with national distribution.

Only the lifestyle magazines write about these wines these days, Executive Style and heygents, magazines where advertorial is hard to tell from infomercial. I  suspect Penfolds stopped sending these wines out to serious reviewers because they’re too embarrassed.

The Chinese New Year Edition

Max’s range is not about wine after all, it’s about using a great man’s name to flog cheap grog in fancy clothing to the masses who think they’re getting something special. It’s a cynical exercise.  The exercise in bad taste is made more cynical by adding a Shiraz called The Promise to the range. Yes, it’s obvious isn’t it? Flog it to the Chinese: they think they’re getting something special, and they don’t mind the in-your-face package. Penfolds has even provided Chinese New Year Tasting Notes.

I can only repeat the question I asked last time: Why doesn’t Penfolds make a Promise to Max? To let him rest in Peace with Dignity.

Just when you think it couldn’t, the story gets worse

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What to look for: Meaning, Consistency and Value

POINTS SYSTEMS

The reviewers we respect the most down under are #RealReviews (Huon Hooke / Bob Campbell) and Messrs Mattinson, Walsh and Bennie at the Winefront. The diagram below is Huon Hooke’s, and it’s pretty much the same system we use at Best Wines Under $20.

The Winefront uses a similar system, but the stars are not aligned the same way

The American, English and European systems tend to go down to 80 points, as the Wine Spectator’s 100 point scale shows

• 95-100 Classic: a great wine
• 90-94 Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style
• 85-89 Very good: a wine with special qualities
• 80-84 Good: a solid, well-made wine

MEANING

That means that you have to recalibrate the point scores from overseas reviewers, since they’re generally lower than ours. However, at the top end you’ll rarely see a 100 point score from a reviewer down under, while Robert Parker has scored some 500 wines at 100 points in recent years. Parker even claims that not giving a 100 points to great wines is irresponsible.

Knowing a reviewers scoring system is one thing, knowing how it’s applied is another. Here it helps to know the preferences of the reviewers, and their likes and dislikes. Parker is a case in point: he loves rich, ripe, alcoholic reds regardless whether they come from McLaren Vale or the Medoc. Huon Hooke doesn’t mind some grapefruit in his Chardonnays, I do. I don’t like huge reds, and I’m not that fond of Shiraz. I try to compensate for this bias in my reviews, or remind readers of it,

CONSISTENCY

I find the RealReview and the Winefront are the most consistent. By that I mean that the reviewers know what they’re doing, that their assessments and point scores are accurate, and that they focus on the wine in front of them. Let me explain the last comment: big name reviewers like Parker and Halliday front large commercial operations that make a lot of money. The money comes from wine companies and retailers paying for the right to republish their reviews and their point scores.

That explains the inflated scores from those reviewers, whose real constituents are no longer wine drinkers but wine companies who like high scores because they help to shift their wines. Not sure about Parker, but Halliday’s scores are generally 3-5 points higher than the RealReview’s and the Winefront’s.

We have a similar phenomenon at the other end of the scale: The Key Report. The scores Tony gives to most of the ALDI wines are incomprehensible. I get the same samples from ALDI, and I scored several of these in the low nineties, but the vast majority are simply good value quaffers in the 85 to 89 point range. I have no idea how or why Tony comes up with his inflated scores.

VALUE

We’re the only review site with a sharp focus on the quality / price ratio of wines. So here’s our value scale at BWU$20:

The obvious bargains are: $10 wines that score 90 points, $15 wines that score 93, $20 wines that score 96 and so on. We could add $7 wines that score 88 points, $12 wines that score 91, $17 wines that score 94, and $22 wines that score 96.

Hope that helps

Kim

The trick is knowing them, and confronting them

When it comes to tasting and reviewing wine, we all have blind spots. So says Matt Kramer at the Wine Spectator, and adds: ‘I frequently see one such blind spot among fanciers of Cabernet Sauvignon who just can’t wrap their heads, and thus their palates, around the particular beauty of Pinot Noir. Devoted to Pinot Noir as I am, I can’t see how they could possibly miss it. But they do.’

Some of my wine friends have accused me of having a blind spot with Hunter Semillon, or with Shiraz. I’m not so sure they’re blind spots, which make you miss important things; I think it’s more about the likes and dislikes we all have, and the prejudices we have about wines or wine styles.

Right or wrong, we all have our Ideas

Most of us have collected a set of reference points about wine styles over the years. For example, I have a clear idea of what I look for in an Aussie Rieslings or in a Cabernet Merlot, but another reviewer will have a different idea, because we’ve all gone to different schools and travelled different roads to learn about wine.

‘I increasingly meet fanciers of California Pinot Noir,’ says Kramer, ‘especially those wines with lush, intense fruit, actively rejecting red Burgundies as being too thin, too light and too acidic. Talk about a blind spot.’ I’d say that we’re really talking about preferences here: many of us love the lush, ripe Pinots that are made in the new world, from Oregon to Otago, and have trouble with Burgundies that can come across as mean and anaemic by comparison.

Semillon and Shiraz, our workhorse grapes

Yes, almost all of our table wines were made from these two varieties until the 1970s, from the Hunter River to the Swan Valley. Then the ‘noble’ Cabernet Sauvignon pushed Shiraz off the stage for a while, and Chardonnay became the champion white.

My blind spot about Shiraz comes down to a dislike of the busty, alcoholic Barossa fruit bombs that are all the rage. I have a preference for the more elegant, peppery, spicy cool climate styles. My blind spot with Hunter Semillon has more angles to it, as I explained to a good friend just this week:

1. I haven’t tasted any Hunter Semillons in years that reached the sublime heights of the ones Karl Stockhausen’s made for Lindeman’s in the 60s
2. I’ve stopped buying good Hunter Semillons such as Tyrrells Vat 1 because they’re too expensive
3. I’ve stopped buying young Hunter Semillons because they take 20 years to mature, and I’m not sure I’ll be around when and if they do.

The Power of Education

I reckon the great Hunter Semillons are flukes that emerge with great irregularity from a wine region that has little going for it apart from its proximity to Sydney. Wine men like Len Evans have educated thousands of eager young wine lovers to the virtues of Hunter Semillon, to the extent that they’ve developed a blind spot that makes them think any unripe, green and ugly young Hunter Semillon duckling will turn into an elegant swan given enough time. Most of them don’t. Now I’m expressing and opinion, not a preference.

Kramer says, ‘I struggle with Sherry as I simply don’t care for oxidized wines. Yet obviously oxidation is part of the very particularity and beauty of Sherry. It’s one of my biggest blind spots, I know.’ I suspect Matt missed out on that particular lesson, but he knows that and has no illusions about it. That’s the key.

Into the Unknown

For most of us, it comes down to what we’ve learnt, what we know, what we’re familiar with. That’s why we have courses in wine appreciation. When we run into new grape varieties such as Fiano or Teroldego, we struggle to get our tasting gear tuned to the unknown aromas. With  unfamiliar wine styles such as the vins jaune du Jura or the Georgian wines made in giant clay pots, we’re driving without a map. We’ve lost our reference points, and we can’t appreciate these wines.

The most common reactions to unfamiliar things or people are dislike and ridicule.Wine reviewers are human, and none can claim to have perfect judgment. Knowing your likes and dislikes is key, and sharing them with your readers. I do that often, and I’m very generous when it comes to sharing my opinions I’m told.

Kim

It was a Great Riesling Vintage

The 2016 vintage was the best in a decade for Riesling in South Australia, with the Eden and Clare Valleys stealing the show so far. The other good news is that Riesling provides enormous value for money, since you can buy the best for less than $20, and even as little as $15. Riesling is the perfect crisp and refreshing summer wine, great with cold chicken and ham on picnics and at BBQs. More here: It’s official: 2016 is a Great Riesling Vintage.

Rosé came out of the cold

I’ll never know why it stayed there so long, like a prisoner condemned to spend the rest of his life on a remote island. Here’s another great wine style that suits our climate and way of life, another wine that matches cold cuts and salads, and another wine that is great value for money.

Just look at these stunning examples: Yalumba Y series Sangiovese Rosé 2016 – $9.50 at Dan M’s, Angove Nine Vines Grenache Shiraz Rosé 2016, $10 at 1^st Choice, and Deep Woods Margaret River Harmony Rosé 2016 $12 at Summer Hill Wine. When it comes to wine at least, we still live in the lucky country.

New varieties still unconvincing

I’ve seen a lot of samples of wines made from fancy new varieties, ranging from Vermentino and Nebbiolo to Negroamaro, but none has really grabbed me yet. I say yet because the wines come from young vines for obvious reasons, which may produce better fruit with greater maturity.

The other problem is the price if these ‘trial’ wines. That’s what they are, in effect, but I guess they’re a hit with the trendy bistro and wine bar set. Most are $20 or more, when you can buy better wines from Italy for $14 such as this Terre di Sava Luccarelli Negroamaro 2013 from Puglia.

Pinot Grigio has taken off, and may well give Sauvignon Blanc a run for its money since wineries have figured out that it walks out the door if you make it sweet and obvious enough. As an aside, Grenache is a variety we’ve grown forever, but the Spaniards make more consistent wines from this variety at much better prices.

Over-the-top Wine Ratings and Medals

This cynical side of the business has become big business, with Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) and the International Wine Competition (IWC) handing out close to 20,000 awards (trophies, medals and commendations) after judging 30,000 entries. The money they make comes from the stickers they sell to wine companies for adorning the prize winning bottles. This quote says it all: ‘If a wine didn’t make you retch, it got a Commended.’ More Here: How the Wine Trade is Taking Consumers for a Ride.

Down Under, Fran Kelly on ABC radio breakfast talked to several wine reviewers including yours truly under the heading Australian Wine Industry Questions Integrity of Wine Ratings.

This followed veteran reviewer and wine judge Huon Hooke’s move to rename his review site The Real Review. Huon has teamed up with Bob Campbell from across the Tasman, and has added more contributors. Good to see.

Good calls and bad calls, lessons learned and more

We get it right more often than not at Best Wines Under $20: the emails praising our recommendations outnumber those disagreeing by about 12 to 1. I’m pretty please with that ratio, and getting wrong from time to time is inevitable in this business.

Finding a wine like the Topers Chardonnay 2013, at such an attractive price, is a long shot. I thought we found it in the Mountadam Barossa Chardonnay 2014, which Winedirect sold for $129 a dozen. I’ve tried 3 bottles of it since recommending it, and it’s more restrained than I recall, and not that engaging right now. The structure is there, and the wine may just need another year or so to come out of its shell, so give it more time. That Halliday gave it 95 points doesn’t make me feel better.

I’m a huge fan of Rosily vineyard in Margaret River, and I’ve recommended their Cartographer Bordeaux blend more than once. I opened a 2011 over Christmas and didn’t enjoy it much: a bit thin, a touch green, lacking fruit and depth – did I keep it too long or is it just going through a stage?

I’ve also been a long term fan of Hoddles Creek in the Yarra Valley, especially their Estate Chardonnays, and bought quite a few of them going back to 2010. The rewards have been patchy: Some vintages even show a petrol character like that we find in old Rieslings, caused by a chemical compound called 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene, known as TDN to its friends. More in Petrol Sniffing.

One reader took me to task for giving similar points to a couple of reds: a Devils Ridge Block 60A Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2014 – $10 at Kemenys (92 points), and a Devil’s Lair The Hidden Cave Cabernet Shiraz 2014 – $17 at Dan M’s (92+ points). He argued that the Devil’s Lair was at least a couple of points better than the Devil’s Ridge, and I have to agree with him.

On the positive side, we’ve found many great bargains close to the magic $10 line; I’ve listed the best of these in this week’s Best Buys Weekly. After all, that’s the tough terrain that we pride ourselves of knowing better than anyone.

Higher up the scale, we continue to find bargains like the Rosily Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 – $22 at Kemenys – which would give many more expensive Margaret River Cabernets a run for their money. Opened a bottle of this last week, and it was even better than I remembered. I think it’s a better wine than the Ringbolt 2013; both featured in Decanter’s top Margaret River Cabs and scored 93 and 94 respectively. I’d score the Ringbolt at 93 and the Rosily at 95/96, it’s that good.

Changes for 2017

It was a good year for great wines under $20, and we never had to scratch around for bargains. I’m thinking of cutting down the number of wines we recommend since subscribers keep asking me to, or rather pleading with me. I’ve even lost subscribers who said they simply bought too much wine. In my defence I can only protest that we find good wines at sharp prices, and rely on you to choose and buy according to your taste, need and capacity (financial or otherwise).

One thing I started late last year, and will continue this year, is to use more of the 100 point rating scale. We see that in America and Europe reviewers use the last 20 to 25 points of the scale (for recommended wines); here we use 12 – 15 points, don’t ask me why. I’ll publish a slightly expanded scoring scale for the way we judge in the near future.

I’d be happy to receive any suggestions you have for improving the newsletter and website. My thinking is to simplify the newsletter and have more time to update the website content such as Best Lists and short term specials. All ideas are welcome but can’t necessarily be implemented.

Kim

The best wines cost plenty, but there are plenty under twenty

I’m in America for family reasons, so this is not a wine education trip for me. How I’d love to visit the Finger Lakes, that exciting new American Viticultural Area (AVA)in New York State just south of Lake Ontario, or the Columbia Valley in Washington on the other side of the country.

Both areas are making exciting Rieslings, we’re told, but my exploration is confined to the bottle shops of Colorado Springs, the web and wine magazines. I first heard about the Finger Lakes when Sheldrake winery won the top trophy at the 2015 International Riesling Challenge 2015 with its wild ferment icewein. Read more about the Finger Lakes here, here and here.

Washington is an older AVA on the west coast, where Riesling has become a star performer. Read more here. The 5^th International Riesling Rendezvous was held here at the Ste Michelle Winery last July; it’s a cooperative venture between Ste Michelle and Dr Loosen Estate on the Mosel, and everybody who’s anybody in Riesling was there. Read more here.

Fancy Reds and High Prices

It doesn’t get much fancier than a third of the bottle covered with red wax, does it? And it’s only a $50 wine a friend had given to my brother. It so happens that the winemaker Joe Wagner was on the cover of the current Wine Spectator. The Belle Glos Clark and Telephone Pinot Noir 2014 is a well-made medium-bodied red from the Sonoma Coast that bears no resemblance to Pinot Noir in the accepted sense. By that I mean it lacks any hints of mushrooms, dank leaves, broken twigs and forest floor. Clean as a whistle, this could be a cool climate Shiraz.

Wine Spectator’s November 30 2016 issue is not about Riesling but about California Cabernet. The list of top wines struck me for two reasons: The outstanding wines scoring 97 to 95 points are expensive, ranging from $90 to $400. The average is around $200.

The second thing that struck me was the neat alignment of points and price points: as the point scores come down to 88, the prices come down to the twenties, and the list suggests an order in the wine universe that we’ve yet to find anywhere else. Maybe California Cabernet is unique in the wine world, or maybe the reviewers know these wines and their price levels too well.

High prices for top reds are becoming more common down under as well, as this list of 2 dozen wines with price tags over $400 shows. That’s not the world we live in, or drink in, and there are plenty of good wines made in the USA in the price range we explore for bargains. Chardonnay is still king among whites, occupying most of the shelf space in bottle shops, and cheap reds tend to be Cabernet blends.

Down to Earth

A perfect example is Francis Ford Coppola’s Diamond Collection Claret 2014, a Bordeaux blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Merlot. The grapes come from the Napa and surrounding areas. The wine is perfectly blended and well-judged, medium-bodied, smooth and satisfying, fruit and gentle oak in perfect balance. I scored it at 93 points, while local reviewers give it 90 points.

90 points from US reviewers is actually a pretty high score. Yes, it’s hard to believe that we have different scoring systems in the international world of wine, but the American system uses far more of the 100 point scale than we do – see below.

The Coppola red is about US$15, and the white Coppola Pavillion 2014 is about US$13. Both are under AUD$20, in other words. The Chardonnay reminded me of the crowd-pleasing Toper’s 2013, with its opulent fruit and creamy oak. Very polished. 92 points.

La Crema Chardonnay2014 from Sonoma is another $15 wine, and a pretty classic Chardonnay with subdued white peaches and cashews woven into a pretty fine cloth.  It’s a little less obvious than the Coppola, a bit more focused, more elegant and a touch more complex. 93 points. So much for the notion that California wines are too expensive.

Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay 2014 – Just over $20, from Russian River serves up more pineapple than stonefruit, and it’s too sweet for my liking, pretty disappointing since I expected more from Russian River.

Mer Soleil Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2014 is a US$25 wine at Costco and $30 at other places, which makes it a $40 wine in our money. It didn’t impress me though, even if it clearly had the kitchen sink of winemaking thrown at it. This wine was also made by Joe Wagner, it turns out, in the same Santa Lucia Highlands as the Belle Glos Pinot Noir, and once again you’d be hard-pushed to pick this as a Chardonnay since the fruit is in the pineapple and mango spectrum. There’s nice oak here, well integrated but not enough to save the wine. 90 points.

Rieslings are even better value: You can buy the basic Ste Michelle Riesling for $7.20 in a dozen from the vineyard (if you join the club). This is an off-dry wine, not too off mind you, with a hint of Germanic softness, quite full-flavoured (12%) and good drinking on its own or with Asian foods. I’d give it 90 points. Serious value here.

The Forge Cellars Riesling 2013 is a dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes, more serious and more expensive at $20. It’s different from Aussie Rieslings, round and rich on the nose, more ripe apples than limes on the palate, not much talc but some minerals and a dry finish. Not a Riesling to worry the makers of our better types. 91 points.

 Two American Rieslings aren’t enough to draw conclusions from, but that was all I could find in Colorado Springs. The Chardonnays show the experience Americans have making this style, and the commercial wines we tried were pretty slick and convincing while the fancier wines were not. Strange that.

The reds were a mixed bag as well. The Apothic Red 2014 (no image) is an easy-going, smooth and round blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s fruit-driven and easy on the gum and $10s. 88 points.

The Cloudveil Pinot Noir 2014 from Oregon (US$25) showed some of those Burgundian characters that were missing in the Belle Glos Pinot Noir, but it lacked focus, depth  and conviction. 89 points.

The Rutherford Hill Merlot 2013 showed that this vintage was good for Merlot, with subdued fruit balanced by a strong backbone of fine acid and tannin. This $20 wine got better and better over 3 days, always showing distinct touches of class. 92 points

Point Scoring

This is the scoring system used by Wine Spectator, which is similar to that used by the Wine Advocate.

• 95-100 Classic: a great wine
• 90-94 Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style
• 85-89 Very good: a wine with special qualities
• 80-84 Good: a solid, well-made wine
• 75-79 Mediocre: a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws

The story is similar to ours from 90 points upwards, then it diverts. Wines that score less than 90 down under are hard to sell, and I can’t recall the last time I saw a score of 85 points or less from our reviewers. In the USA, these are solid, well-made wines.

Kim

Basic Buying

I had a chance to check out the Costco in Colorado Springs today, and it was a bit of a letdown: smaller than I’d expected, and with a pretty poor selection: a few bottles of decent US wines in the middle of the shop, and cheaper wines along the walls including litre bottles. There were loads of spirits and other drinks.

The number of staff (4) was surprising for this little shop which sat separate from the main Costco hangar. They claim to have the best prices for wine but my brother said that wasn’t so in many cases. I checked online but Costco’s website didn’t even mention wine.

ALDI opts for off-line

Earlier this year, ALDI in Australia announced that it was closing its online liquor business. I knew from Jason Bowyer who set the project up, that this was a first for ALDI in the world. It looks like these old grocers aren’t really comfortable outside their bricks-and-mortar supermarkets.

The first problem with that idea is that goes against the trend of increasing online shopping. The second problem is that ALDI’s range of wines differs from store to store, in line with its floor space. The third problem is that some ALDI stores don’t sell wine at all. All of this makes it hard to know in which ALDI shop you can find the wines I recommend from time to time.

The Bottom Line

I have long voiced serious reservations about guys like these guys selling fine wine, which is not a commodity that suits their discount barns. Happily, these grocers seem to be creating their own obstacles: ALDI going backwards, and Costco has not found the degree of popularity it expected down under. I’m not shedding any tears for either of them.

We’ve picked out some of the more familiar wines, and looked at them through our harsh filter

Yalumba Y Series Pinot Grigio 2016 – $8.50 at Kemenys. Scores 89 Halliday points, and offers OK if bland drinking at this price. I prefer the Viognier in this range.

Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2016 – $15 at Dan M’s. I bought some more of this at $13.30 a week ago; that price comes around once a month at least. Australia’s greatest Riesling bargain gets 94 points from James, same as our score. I suspect I’ll end up with 3 dozen of this wine, it’s that good and that cheap.

De Iuliis Semillon 2016 95 – $18 at Kemenys. Gets 95 points from James H, and scored a trophy in the Sydney Show. Scores 93 points with the Winefront where CM says: ‘Light and crisp and yet penetrating. Just a hint of texture. Citrus and hay. Flickers of lemongrass and fennel. Picture perfect young Hunter sem. Excellent buying.’

West Cape Howe Mount Barker Sauvignon Blanc 2016 – $17 at Winestar. 92 points seems a mean score from Halliday for one of Australia’s best savvies, better than just about any savvy that comes out of the Adelaide Hills IMHO.

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And how to Avoid them

I came across an article by Matt Kramer at the Wine Spectator: Rookie Mistakes. We’ve all made them. What are they?

Matt says: ‘If there’s anything that wine lovers of experience share—apart from the never-ending search for a good deal—it’s the wincing memory of rookie mistakes. No one is exempt. Anyone who’s bought wine for a few years and caught the collecting bug has, over time, looked back and said, “What was I thinking?”’

I suspect that rings a bell with most of us, but I’d argue that rookies aren’t alone here. I’m the first to admit that I still make mistakes, and I’ve been tasting and buying and cellaring wine for over 40 years. Let’s have a look at the most common bad buying decisions.

1. Mistaking Power for Beauty

This is not a rookie mistake, as we see it time and time again at wine shows where experienced judges fall for the perfumed, busty blonde or the tall, dark and manly looking guy. It’s easy to succumb to the obvious charms of a wine that leaps out of the glass and kisses you on the lips, and to miss the more subtle characters of a classy fine wine. Think of the big, buttery, oaky chardonnays of old.

Power is strength of flavour and size, meaning high alcohol, and here’s the rub: the current fashion of high alcohol reds – 14.5% has become the norm – has less to do with global warming than their greater glycerol content, which adds perceived sweetness and viscosity, That’s why big reds often come across as plush and velvety, which makes them easier to sell to judges and punters alike.

More in: Aussie Reds – so much alcohol, so little finesse.

More up-front fruit is another cheap trick that works an easy magic on most of us when combined with high alcohol, therefore the ‘Barossa fruit bombs’ we see so many of these days. A Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Quartage comes to mind, a Bordeaux blend that is choc-full of sweet cassis and ripe black currants. A 2009 I opened the other day was somewhere between jam and Ribena.

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‘We as an industry constantly talk to each other and no one else.’

‘Some of the best and brightest talent of the Australian wine industry gathered in the Hunter Valley last weekend,’ the press release tells us, ‘to celebrate Len’s birthday and to discuss the future of the Australian Wine Show System in the 21st century. … the resounding outcome of the TalkFest was that Australian wine shows have played a critical role in shaping Australia’s wine styles and trends …’

The forum was the Len Evans Tutorial, LET to its friends. The headline of this post is the headline of the press release, without the question mark. Philip White, the gadfly of the Aussie wine business, calls it ‘a quaint annual affair’ and explains that ‘Evans’ business cronies and admirers maintain this annual wine judges’ school in his honour. While it was designed to program prospective wine judges to conduct their work in a more scholarly and informed manner, it leaves itself open to accusations of clubby exclusivity, a trait which makes it seem more of a homogenizing exercise.’ http://drinkster.blogspot.com/

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10 years ago, no one drank Rosé. This year it’s the hottest drink around

‘I haven’t seen this much excitement over a wine style since Marlborough sauvignon blanc first started to take off in the market,’ Dan Murphy’s Peter Nixon tells Max Allen. ‘We have seen sales growth of between 200 and 300 % in the over-$10 rose category over the last twelve months. It is that dramatic.’

A cynic would argue that Semillon outsold Rosé by a factor of 10 to 1 a year ago, but the trend for Rosé is up all in the northern hemisphere as well. So who’s drinking so much Rosé all of a sudden? The same people who were drinking Kiwi Savvy last year? Cool youngish female professionals? No. It’s young males, the ABC tells us.  Gen Ys, Millennials and Hipsters. For decades, no one drank Rose. Suddenly it’s hip. Last year, my hip daughter who is always ahead of the curve told me she was drinking Rosé almost exclusively.

Pretty as a picture

Most people don’t see Rosé as a serious wine. It’s on the frivolous end of the spectrum: The colour ranges from pale salmon to bright red. it’s pretty, and so is the package it comes in as a rule. You don’t need to know much about wine to enjoy Rosé either. It’s a pretty wine, it’s cool, crisp and refreshing, it rhymes with spring and summer.

You can drink it without second thoughts. You can drink it on its own or you can drink it with food. You can just chill out on it. ‘Rosé is a wine of the moment,’ says Ray Isle at Food & Wine. ‘It’s a fling. People get married to Burgundy. Rosé, they wake up in the morning and realize they’ve forgotten its name.’

Rose is a style that can be made from a range of red grape varieties that include Grenache, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet and more. The pink colour comes from leaving the juice on the skins just long enough. The same goes for pink champagne.

What foods do you drink Rosé with?

The kind of fare that’s popular at hip food places, of course: antipasto, tapas, pizzas, pasta, tacos, burgers, pink lamb, cold meats, salads and summer picnics. Crisp and dry is best with these foods. The full-bodied, fruity style will go better with spicy and sweet-and sour Asian dishes, and with curries. The people at Big Oven tell us that cool Rosé is a perfect match for warm-climate cuisines such as those of Asia, India, Mexico and the Mediterranean.

The lighter styles of Rosé that serve up strawberries and cream can go with light and fluffy desserts but are best drunk on their own. That’s the simple end of the story.

If you want to dig deeper into matching Rosé and food, Fiona Beckett is a rewarding destination. She lists 8 types of Rosé and various foods that go with them, but please take it all with a pinch of salt because some of her ideas are pretty dubious: drinking elegant fruity Rosé with lobster, seared salmon or tuna for example. Same goes for the list from Lindsay Hunt at Buzzfeed (porterhouse steak??), but some of the dishes look interesting.

What’s the damage?

The good news is that you can buy good Aussie Rosés for little more than $10: Angoves Nine Vines and Deep Woods Harmony are a couple of good examples. $20 will buy you de Bortoli’s La Boheme Act III or Charlie Melton’s Rosé of Virginia. The fancy Pitt & Jollie Miraval will set you back $30, but I’m not sure how it’s holding up after recent events.

As usual, your sharp sommelier will find you more obscure Rosés from the far-flung corners of France or Chili, but hey: let’s not get too serious. My advice is to stick to the simply joys Rosé has to offer.

Dan Murphy’s Peter Nixon reckons that Rosé will outsell white wine in 10 years’ time, but I reckon he’s wrong. Why? Because it’s fashion driving the current boom and, like bubbles of soap, fashion doesn’t last long. The Hipsters will find another cool drink next year, but some of the more mature drinkers may rekindle their Romance with Rosé in the meantime.

Kim