Australian Wine Makers Could Benefit From Brexit

Brexit has caused shock waves and uncertainty across various industries around the world. But it could potentially be beneficial to Australia’s wine makers, the Ideal Wine Company has found.

Strong trade relationship

According to the Australian government, “Australia has a significant relationship with the UK underpinned by our shared heritage, common values, closely aligned strategic outlook and interests.”  Data quoted by Business Insider in 2014 shows that the UK is Australia’s seventh largest two way trading partner, ranking ahead of the EU’s largest economy Germany.

Throughout recent years, British consumers have developed a taste for Australian wine. Official data suggests that the UK is the biggest export destination for wine produced in the land down under, by volume. Ideal Wine Company provides a selection of Australian wines, so we have seen first-hand how the country’s finest vintages are becoming increasingly popular with British wine enthusiasts.

Read in full: at the Ideal Wine Company blog site.

Australian Bottle Named Best Wine of the 70s

The Ideal Wine Company was not the least bit surprised to learn recently that one of Australia’s most famous vintages was named the best wine of the 1970s.

New world wine maker

Long gone are the days where wine making was seen as the sole province of ‘old world’ countries such as France, Italy and Spain. Since their colonisation, many new world countries including the US, Chile and Australia have established roaring wine trades.

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Cultivated over 200 years, the Australian wine industry has evolved to become one of the most successful on the planet. According to the Australian government, the land down under now boasts 60 wine making areas including well known regions such as Barossa Valley, Yarra Valley and Mudgee.

Best wine of the 70s

Produced in South Australia, Penfolds Grange is often regarded as the land down under’s most collectible wine. Typically made from Shiraz grapes delicately blended with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, these hearty reds will knock your socks off. The brand’s most famous bottle is the 1971, a standout vintage which was recently named the best wine produced in the 1970s at an event sponsored by European Luxury Magazine, FINE.

Good Food recently reported that the Magazine gathered together a panel of judges from nine different countries to assess various wines worth in excess of $500,000. They awarded the Penfolds Grange 1971 a near perfect score of 98.5 out of 100, whilst French wines secured eight out of the other top ten spots on the list. Chateau Y'quem 1975 from Sauternes, France was awarded second place, securing a score of 98 out of 100.

Incredibly proud moment

Penfolds’ head wine maker, Peter Gago, commented on the victory. He said that it’s an “incredibly proud moment” for the land down under’s most famous vintage, adding that he “almost fell off his chair when I heard.” Gago went on to say: "this isn't just competing with wines of one vintage or from one country.

“This is competing with the greatest wines from an entire decade, sourced from the whole world, and including some of the greatest vintages in the history of Bordeaux and Champagne. It was a blind tasting, too, with an international panel of judges, which removes any suggestion of bias.”

Try a Penfolds Grange

The 1971 is an amazing wine, but it isn’t the only standout bottle produced by Penfolds Grange. You should buy a Penfolds Grange from the Ideal Wine Company today if you want to learn how this estate has produced some of the best reds the world has ever seen. 

Exceptionally Early Vintage Presents Problems for Wine Makers in South Australia

Reports recently came to the attention of the Ideal Wine Company that there has been an exceptionally early vintage in South Australia this year. This has presented a number of problems for wine makers in the region.

Some wonderful wines are made in Australia

Because we strive to supply you with fantastic fine wines from regions across the world, we couldn’t not feature a range of Australian luxury wines on the Ideal Wine Company product list.

Australia has long been an up and comer in the world of wine production. Today it’s recognised as a wine maker to equal newer entrants to the industry such as Argentina and California, as well as wine making stalwarts such as France and Italy. The country is known for producing high quality Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Semillon vintages, among others.

Early vintage puts pressure on wine makers

Yet reports have recently revealed that the land down under’s lucrative wine industry has come under pressure. According to ABC News, this year’s wine vintage arrived a month earlier than normal in South Australia.

The region’s Winegrape council executive officer, Peter Hackworth, went on to point out that this has put pressure on wine makers in South Australia. It means that they have to readjust to a much tighter picking schedule and this means that some grapes may not make it to the winery, which would spur a loss for the South Australian wine industry.

The grapes can’t get to the winery

Speaking of the significance of the early vintage, Hackworth said that "what it's meant is a lot of the varieties that normally would ripen distinctively apart have tended to come in at the same time." The executive elaborated that "areas such as the warmer inland areas are ripening at the same time as the cool climate areas, so everything is tending to come in at once. It puts a lot of pressure on winery infrastructure."

He went on to explain: "It's extremely difficult for growers - that can create problems because the grapes will ripen and get to an optimum quality… But if they can't get into the winery, the sugar levels increase and the wine goes beyond its optimum and starts to decline. So that has big implications in terms of pricing for grapes too."

South Australia can meet this challenge

Therefore this early harvest could affect South Australia’s 2015 vintage in a number of ways. Yet South Australia is known for the quality of the bottles it produces. We bet the region has what it takes to overcome this challenge and deliver a stellar 2015 vintage. 

Canberra Fine Wines Grow in Popularity

This week the IdealWine Company asks; what is it about Canberra fine wines that has seen them become the vintage of choice over the past few months?

Australia: The Emerging Wine Hotspot

The Ideal Wine Company strives to bring you a range of fine wines from around the world. As such we feature a variety of vintages from emerging wine hotspot Australia.

Its unique climate, varied landscape and glorious weather make Australia the perfect place to produce a bottle destined to delight the senses and dance on the tongue. Therefore the last few decades have seen the land down under become recognised as one of the world’s key fine wine producers.

The Growing Market for Canberra Wine

According to the Canberra Times, the rise of Australia as a luxury vintage producer has spurred the popularity of bottles from one of its lesser known grape-growing regions. Canberra.

Speaking to producers in the region, the publication discovered that demand for Canberra fine wine has been growing for some time. However the last six months have seen producers stretched to their limit as demand for their product soars and Canberra district wine is labelled “the flavour of the month” amongst those in the know.

“We Have Only 40 Cases of Shiraz Left”

Take Bill Crowe from Four Winds, an up-and-coming Canberra wine producer. He revealed to the Times that his family-run winery near Murrumbateman has had to double production every 12 months since it opened four years ago. Recently he even had to increase space for grape fermentation to stay abreast of demand.

Crowe said: "The first year I got to Four Winds vineyard we would have done around 10 tonnes – this year we are doing 56 tonnes… We have only 40 cases of Shiraz left and we will probably sell out of all these wines before the new ones are on."

“Some of the Best Fine Wines in the World.”

Crowe went on to talk about the growing popularity of the Canberra vintage. Crowe said that the region is “making some of the best wines in the world. The Riesling and Shiraz I've had out here is second to none, and we do other varietals extremely well too." 

These sentiments were echoed by Canberra District Wine Industry Association’s John Leyshon. He suggested that "fine wines are the flavour of the month at the moment... There is an increasing demand for Canberra district wine, and its fine wine." Leyshon went on to comment that "Canberra locals don't know how lucky they are ... they've got some of the best wines in Australia only 30 minutes' drive from their front door."

Try a Bottle of Canberra’s Finest

We wish we were that lucky. From the sounds of things Canberra fine wine has become the vintage of choice for one reason. It’s laced with pure quality. Next time you get the chance, the Ideal Wine Company would suggest that you try a bottle of Canberra’s finest for yourself for see what all the fuss is about.