Year of the bailout

December 2008

Where did 2008 go? Not only was it Year of Rat, the Potato and Sanitation but Merriam–Webster have made “bailout” as the word of the year. That is unfortunately also fairly appropriate to a lot of wineries as well. Too bad we don’t all have company Learjets to zip off to Congress to ask for some beer money. I am sure plenty of wine companies will be happy to put the last year behind them as well and try to look forward to a more cheerful 2009. What does the future hold for the wine industry globally? Crystal ball time soon but firstly the year for WsF was another successful one and thanks to all involved who made it so. Most recently confirmed, WsF will be pooling resources with the largest Chinese wine producer for some stirring brand developments both in and out of China. I am very excited to be involved with this project with the potential of China still being in its infancy. Label development elsewhere have not been idle either and while plenty of wine has been sourced for others I have finally settled on a tier of labels that are already doing well in various areas and continue to build. Also many of the ongoing sourcing and winemaking projects continue to remain strong and while there have been a few mutual partings this year it has made my business model more streamlined and stronger. As to having a gander in the globe of glass the following might just be true in 2009; top end wine sales will strengthen but a lot of wines will push up their prices in order to try and cash in without having any credibility at all so punters will return to tried and tested European names from good vintages and people will move away from high alcohol wines regardless of winemaker excuses as to being in balance or super high points. Entry level supply options will be shunned by more and more suppliers and taken up by the lean and mean creating even more bargain offers for the consumer – wine prices will stay down. South American wines will continue to prosper in global markets while their domestic economy spirals downwards. Marlborough winemakers will not get the crop reduction they are praying for. Private and own label developments will continue to make massive headway against branded wines resulting in a higher level of desperation than ever seen before by brand managers. It will rain at Vinexpo and hopefully the air-conditioning soothsayers will finally shut up. Internet and direct sales will continue to rise and anyone not involved in this is missing the boat. Oak barrel sales will decline significantly. More vineyards will be pulled up in Europe. A few more new appellations will surface. Most countries bulk exports will rise again. Rosé wines will become more popular as will wine cocktails. One of the world’s largest winemakers will be asset stripped. Glass will remain as the major container for wine regardless of cost and carbon points. New varieties will continue to be highlighted but style direction will remain dubious and the chardonnay and cabernet set will continue to dominate. The Indian market will remain an enigma but continue to enforce a global presence by purchasing more wineries. **Wine sales to Hong Kong will increase massively as it becomes the springboard to Asia. So there you have it, more thoughts for dinner time conversation.
I wish all associated with WsF a safe and prosperous festive season and a successful 2009. Cheers

Push me pull you

December 2008

With the 2009 vintage kicking off next month – yes next month! – for some of the southern hemisphere the relentless cycle of production highlights the minimal time frame that most wineries have to move their stock. Some wineries are running at much higher inventory levels than they should be at this time of year. The options to most people now are to bottle without sales, put wine into oak, sell bulk wine at a loss, dump it or reduce the intake of the new vintage. Not a lot of positive options overall and most of them involve more financial burden. There is nothing that removes the romance like discovering you can’t afford it. Never more than now does it emphasise that grapes and wine are simply products of an agricultural crop – something that a vast majority of the industry never seems to want to recognize. But does it highlight that there is too much wine produced? Are there too many vineyards planted? My view is that there are not too many vineyards in hectares planted – just people who are happy to reward growers for producing too much. If a grower is paid a minimum amount per tonne of grapes but still allowed to over crop the vine – where is the sense in that? With the freedom of not having appellations in much of the southern hemisphere which results in innovation and potentially more consistent wine styles should come a responsibility to not abuse the production base or the market. Still that is a pipe dream. Quality is not immune; look at New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Why aren’t more crop levels and payments determined on a per hectare basis where it becomes more of a win win situation? The only way forward is for ownership at a smaller level – this is where the diversity and quality interests really come from and the ability to manage the total process – an area that some companies are giving a free lesson in how it should not be done. Of course there are going to be some great wines made this year as well as some ordinary wine but how is your vintage going to be remembered?

Cloudy Gris

October 2008

New Zealand is having a few growing pains at the moment with plenty of Sauvignon Blanc on stream, falling prices, mixed 2008 vintage reviews and a stereotypical wine style to boot along with the impending 2009 vintage (who needs a frost?). On the bright side the currency downturn might give exports a further push, there is more recognition and diversity of other regions and wine styles and along with NZ’s green image, the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand vineyard and winery program is now well established. The most recent review this month of quite a few wineries and wines revealed some interesting points. Sauvignon Blanc is as vibrant as ever with some new producers on the landscape amongst the flood of established labels. We will have to see if they are waving or drowning. White is where it is at for NZ with little interest or depth outside of Pinot Noir. However a real shining light was the Pinot Gris wines. Each producer is coming to grips with it in their own way and literally all of them are making an interesting wine ranging in flavour from aromatic rose petal characters to a tight and steely, almost gunflint finish. All the wines had interest and represent great value for money especially when compared to European offerings. Over the last 10 years, the plantings have increased by 2281 % as opposed to Sauvignon Blanc at a mere 610 %. It may not be Alsace but it is going to be something special.

start with a bang

September 2008

Vintage - that time of year where anxiety levels go up - started with a bang for this years Northern hemisphere harvest. I have just returned from the Manas region in China where the first Chardonnay grapes were crushed last week. A giant figure 8 firecracker was lit before the grapes were crushed and pressed to bring good luck for the harvest. With Europe well underway there will be a vintage overview next month but at this stage it looks like great quality, reduced yields in a lot of regions. Casual vintage labour is always an issue everwhere and even the Chinese have a problem with their massive plantings of agricultural crops all ripening at the same time. Grape harvest has to compete with tomatoes, cotton and a host of others raised an issue that I never thought I would see.

Up the creek

August 2008

With the ongoing continued debate in South Australia of water allocation it is imperative that the rest of the world learns from this political hot potato. It is at a juncture now where exploitation and inaction has created one of the great ecological disasters of modern times and the consequential outcome is going to have major implications for the wine (and so much other agricultural) industry. Continued record export figures once readily lauded in the press – are now being replaced by ongoing figures which are not so impressive. With politicians always ready to build a bridge – even when there is no river – it would be more appropriate to federally manage the resource with a sustainable agenda, something that appears to be unachievable. If a bushfire or any other natural disaster wiped out the equivalent of the millions of dollars lost that is being lost to the Murray River dying, there would be a state of emergency declared immediately. Apparently with man made disasters no one is liable. Possibly there will be some action when the tax dollars do not come in? I forecast last year that 10% of the Australian wine industry will be removed - it could be higher.

Gan Bei

June 2008

Next week marks the commencement of an exciting project between Wine sans Frontieres and a Chinese/American venture. China has a history of vinification going back 6 000 years and is now the 5th largest grape producer in the world. My experience here goes back only 5 years but the first time I saw the facilities and the wines I also saw the potential. There is a need for a lot of education (on both sides of the market) but China is going to become an even bigger player in the future and WsF is excited to be involved. More updates to come.

The ULTIMATE wine map

hot off the press

Wine sans Frontieres is very pleased to announce that they have been appointed the exclusive sales agency within Australia and New Zealand for Atlas Wine Regions world map. When I first saw this map I realized that the synergy between a global wine map and the concept of Wine sans Frontieres was perfect. The essence of capturing the world’s wine regions has up until now never been done before. The map was 2 years in the making and completely hand drawn by renowned Argentine artist and designer Maggie Moreno.
Inspired by the cartographers of the Middle Ages it captures the history and intrigue of a previous era while acting as a valuable reference tool. It outlines the world’s wine regions and is a unique and distinctive reference. There is currently no similar product available in the global market today and it provides information of not only wine regions but also the counties political divisions and capital cities.
Due to its aesthetics and decorative character this is ideally placed for board rooms, restaurants, wineries, offices and all manner of high traffic areas.
This highly fashionable work of art is now available outside of Argentina for the first time and for further information please contact Wine sans Frontieres.

Tale of two cities

May 2008

London to Hong Kong – with a couple of detours along the way but really wine fair (London International Wine Fair) to wine fair (Vinexpo Asia Pacific). The contrasts are, of course, massive but what was so positive is the attitude of the exhibitors in HK. There were a lot of happy campers in Hong Kong. London, not so much jubilation. London as a market is brutal – everyone knows that and while there is still continued growth, the market conditions demand a very selective and specific plan. Hong Kong – and Asia - is developing quickly and if you are not there now you are going to miss the dragon boat. London had about 15 000 visitors over the duration of 3 days while Hong Kong had around 8 500 in the same time of which nearly 60% came from 28 different Asian countries.
Italy, Spain and France had very good representation in Hong Kong as did Chile and Argentina, Australia by contrast was almost non existent. One thing that is common between the two cities is that the opportunity for all wine business is at the value end of the trade. Who pays in the end is going to get the business.

Another day another fair

May 2008

Back in London for the International Wine Trade Fair where something like 180 000 bottles of wine have been shipped in for the 3 days. On the back of this there are rumblings that the generic bodies of so called new world producers are looking at making a breakaway fair and not presenting at Vinexpo in Bordeaux next year. Does the wine world need another fair? I strongly think not. Harping on about the air conditioning not working 5 years ago and strong French bias is pathetic. As with all wine fairs (including London) – they are what you make it. Anyone who has been to more than one fair, knows exactly what to expect. There are so many variables in trying to get a new fair up and running and it obviously has not been thought through – and just doesn’t need to be. Dismiss the idea and the argument now. Serious buyers go directly to the country of source anyway and will continue to do so for as long as I can forecast. So was London a success? Depending on who you ask but there is a lot of pain here - that much is evident.

Save the vines

May 2008

There is a Spanish expression about rain in May is a gift – rain in August is an encumbrance. Having just visited a few Spanish regions in May it left an impression on me that there are so many gifts for the taking with the old vineyards bearing diminutive amounts of fruit. It is not without its dilemmas though. Calatayud in northern Spain is a fine example. This is a region with a diverse and fascinating history – the third ever templar church was built in the town of Calatayud for instance. The region has an abundance of old vineyards that many winemakers only dream about. For each hectare the growers extract about two tonne of grapes. Planted mainly to Grenache the region makes wines of strong fruit expression and depth of flavour. However a lot of the wineries (coops) can not sell their wine and the growers are not paid for two years. It is also quite labour intensive and these guys are not getting any younger. This has now reached a point where many are considering pulling out their vines if they can not sell them. The land will just lay bare and the growers will lament in the local bar. Some local visionaries are buying up parcels, trying to get some volume to drive sales and also having a point of difference and going for organic certification – a simple process but takes 3 years. Other vineyards are being bought by other Spanish winemakers. But more and more of these pre Second World War vineyards are being offered for sale or being removed. A hectare of these historic treasures is less than the price of a crappy Ford Fiesta so is a bargain. My plea is that interested persons (get a group together) should buy what they can and have some wine made that you can truly call your own. If each wine club in the US did something like this much of the dilemma would be solved. At the very least search out for wines of regions that you don’t know and try them – all the sales help – and if your merchant does not have something, ask for it. About 20 years ago the growers of the Barossa Valley in South Australia pulled out hectares and hectares of really old Shiraz and Grenache vines and it turned out to be the biggest mistake in their history. Ironically the European Union will fund this like the Australian government did. It is already happening now so there is not much time to act. I am in the process of getting my vineyard sorted - so no time like the present. On the way back into town we passed an old building in a little village that is now a modern spa centre. I was struck by the conflict that it is interesting that some people will not pay a few extra dollars for the worlds greatest beverage but will pay unwarranted amounts of money to have hot rocks placed on their backs and be rubbed with a pumpkin and wasabi. Save these vines – they are completely unique and irreplaceable. My view is that any vineyard that makes 50 years has proven itself – the market just has to catch up.

The resulting crime

May 2008

Look at these vines - some of these are as big as a torso. The marketing gurus are always saying that the future of wine as we know it is to trade up to higher price points. This will never happen if we continue to lose the very vines that winemakers can utilise and consequently people can trade up to. It is very near a crime to allow what is currently happening

Donde esta

March 2008

Having spent a few days in Barcelona at the Alimentaria fair, it underlines the vibrancy, diversity and sheer depth of Spanish food and wine. Set over five days in two enormous areas with multiple halls this bi-annual exhibition serve as the opportunity for producers to display their wares. Once you put behind the flavour distractions of olive oil, jamón and manchego, the wine exhibitors are again showing the awareness of market requirements and the range of more modern and integrated wines are continually growing. One of the highlights is the region of Bierzo. Where? Bierzo is located in the northwestern corner of Castilla y León, due north of Portugal. Still unknown to most drinkers wine drinkers around the world, I have been intrigued by this region for a few years. Made up of small parcels of vineyards and planted largely to the grape variety Mencia, it is an expression of pure intensity and the concentration of fruit characters are being refined more and more each year with wonderful results. If you are looking for depth and intensity that you enjoy in shiraz or have jumped on the Priorat band wagon recently – look a bit further for wines of Bierzo – you will not be disappointed.
While Alimentaria was easy to access with the new metro line which beats the infamous Barcelona traffic and the halls and stands spacious it would have been more than useful for the organizers to put out some stand numbers so that you did not spend half your time saying “where is…”

need space

March 2008

Currently back in the Barossa Valley after South America before heading to the cooler climes of Europe for a few trade fairs. It is that time of the year when all expectations are on man and machine to perform at maximum efficiency. Vintage in the “Barossa” is flying through at the moment with most wineries completely full. Yields so far appear to be around normal to very slightly down – but not really a major issue as wines from the Barossa are a finite resource. All the whites are (should be) safely inside and fermenting away slowly while the remaining red wines are taking the full brunt of another prolonged hot spell. Forecast temperatures are for another 10 days of 32 degrees plus and up to 39 degrees which will test both the vines and winemakers patience. Speaking today to a recently retired winemaker with an impressionable 46 vintages under his belt, he remembers the 1978 vintage being hot in march as well, but not as dry. Looking back at the wines from that era the alcohols are all around 12. This is back in the days when everyone thought they were Bordeaux. However, the new wines that I have seen so far are of an extremely good quality with intense depth of colour and tannins really quite smooth and velvety. The issue this year (again) will be the alcohol levels. With the dry weather and lack of rain, the vines seem to be literally drinking themselves and pulling the water out of the grapes resulting in sugar levels jumping rapidly. One of the envies of the old world is that the wineries normally have enough fermentation space to take in the entire harvest – traditionally due to the rains that might come early. In this current weather cycle being experienced here (and other countries like Chile) it seems that the heat is the bigger problem but needs to be dealt with in the same way. Good wine is made in the vineyard but not if it has to sit there for too long. Another few weeks and most of the grapes will be harvested but the jury is still out in terms of fruit expression in the reds. Vintage review will happen in April.

ein, zwei, drei

March 2008

As easy as one, two, three. Prowein has wrapped up the latest European sojourn and what a pleasure it was to finish here. Held in Dusseldorf, Germany every year it may not be the biggest wine fair but would easily be the most professional, accessable and effective show of the year for most of the 3 058 exhibitors from 43 countries. With a vast number of the world’s wine regions represented it is a wonderful snapshot of what is currently happening. It was great to see a lot of new and young wineries exhibiting. Some new innovation and unfortunately some same ol’ same ol’ but overall some exciting new finds were discovered. Questions and hearsay are always rife with vintage assessment questions being posed for the difficulties of southern hemisphere countries while the northern countries struggle with exchange rates and everyone struggles with duty increases. With over 31 000 visitors effortlessly coming and going it would be great if some of the organizers from other wine fairs would take note of the efficiency of Prowein. Prost!

The heat is on

April 2008

Normally during vintage the expression of “the heat is on” is a figure of speech – this year in South Australia in particular it was in the form of a record setting 16 consecutive days of 35 degree plus heat wave mid vintage (March) which consequently made a vintage of two halves. Chile also is experiencing a bout of very dry and hot weather and unseasonable conditions. Consequently there will always be an issue of vintage quality while a majority of wine producers are unable to take in the entire grape crop when they deem ideal. While some producers will always produce a stunning wine in a shocking year and vice versa, a quick thumb suck of how some regions in the Southern Hemisphere managed is as follows

Australia

Barossa Valley – some exceptional wines will be made but following the heat wave fruit depth will be debatable. Most grapes picked before the heat wave will be of a very high quality. Crop levels affected due to berry shrivel. Padthaway – Overall good quality wines in one of the shortest vintages in history due to picking and sending the fruit to other regions for processing before the high temperatures hit. Riverina – not as affected by water restrictions as further south so yields not affected drastically and overall quality is sound although some selection is necessary. Mclaren Vale – also affected by the heat and some very rich regional styles will follow. Hunter Valley – pick around for some good whites but it was very wet and the reds suffered for it. Clare Valley – winemakers are very happy with their lot and some of the best Rieslings since 2002, perhaps before. Margaret River – good quality whites and sensible alcohol levels. Some excess volumes around. Industry getting a shakeup with some new players on the scene. Riverland/Murray Darling – The growers who bought water yielded about average crop levels or slightly down where no water purchased meant down by 60%. Wine quality for red and whites is sound.

New Zealand

Marlborough vintage is progressing well and yields up for the region. Interesting to see what how the market reacts to pricing in the next few months. Central Otago is early days and possibly only half way through the crush in the first week of April. A bit of a “stuttery” vintage with Riesling and Pinot Gris coming in, a few blocks of Pinot Noir and then the waiting game for the rest of the vineyards to catch up.

Chile

With most stock of 2007 wines have all but gone from the market the exporters are pushing hard to get the new wines ready. Hard winter conditions and low temperatures in spring delayed budburst by up to a month this year. Chile has been hit with some warm weather as well and is approaching drought conditions in some areas. The overall production is down by around 20%. However with red wines in particular there will be some very good concentration due to small berry sizes. Rough estimates at this early stage are putting Curico down by 25% and Casablanca down by up to 40%. Merlot (up to 20% down) has suffered more under the conditions than Cabernet Sauvignon being 10% down against last year’s crop. Very early for pricing forecasts and the government will be releasing stocks in June

Argentina

Just at the beginning of harvest there was some concerning rain causing some panic picking and resulting in lower than normal alcohols for the warmer regions of Mendoza and San Juan. The departmental governments were quite late in setting prices and conditions but have finally come out and decreed that 30% of production go to grape concentrate production. Overall production will be down by 15 to 20%. Wineries with good vineyard practices will be producing some very good wines this year. Russian and Chinese buyers are causing strong upward movement in prices against last year for entry level wine.

South Africa

A fair bit of rain in the growing season and this caused a lot of vigour within the canopies. Stellenbosch had some downy and botrytis issues in the vineyards and has had an effect on the white wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc. Red wines generally of high quality potential. Worcester, where a large amount of South Africa’s wine is sourced from, has had a good vintage as long as winemakers adapted to the conditions and did not follow old recipes.

The birds and the bees

April 2008

Following a visit to Margaret River for vintage assessment it was interesting to see the impact pests have on the vintage crop. Over the years I have had to combat with everything from bees to kangaroos to baboons. This year the vast amount of gum trees in Western Australia have had a very bad flowering or in some cases not flowered at all. The implications of this are that the bee keepers are going to have a shortfall of potentially tonnes of honey and that the birds (mainly the aptly named silver eye) which normally feed on the nectar decided to attack the grapes in plague proportions in some places. Apparently Semillon was the most favoured by the flying fauna.

Hot stuff - must be Chile

March 2008

Chile is smoking hot at the moment and sales of wines are growing at a great rate and it is currently their turn in the sun. As I see Chile at the moment it is a pseudo big brother to New Zealand in terms of wine quality. Both countries are recognized for sauvignon blanc and Chile is also starting to turn out some very interesting pinot noirs. Long recognized for having very good value wines the quality level is being pushed continually upwards. While exports are the buzz and proving interesting for their large neighbour, Argentina, exports are essential to the Chilean wine industry. Chile currently exports about 70% of its wine production worth well over USD 1.2 billion.
Although the peso is a bit of an issue for the industry there are still some good levels of investment and people are pushing the envelope in terms of where the vineyards are being planted – with major costs associated with shipping water huge distances. Vineyards are being planted further north and south, much further than ever thought possible previously. How they fare in the future will be interesting to watch but it is the added diversity and the possibility of combating global warming that these areas will will make a name for themselves; more on a micro rather than macro scale. The area that Chile can really forge ahead with wines though is not only with its sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and of course carmenere, but with the use of interesting blends to give a consistent style and depth of flavours. Wine sans Frontieres is working with some innovative producers to realize the full potential of these blends which will be available in the US later this year.
Speaking of sun they are receiving plenty at the moment during the vintage season. The lead up to harvest during spring was perfect with cool temperatures but the warmer weather has hit now. WsF will be back in Chile in April and will overview the harvest then.

Open your doors (and minds)

January 2008

Where ever one travels to it is not too far that you have to go to find a working vineyard and winery within range. Wine tourism has been recognized by many in the industry but there are many places around the world that have yet to grasp this concept. If you can give a potential customer something to remember positively there is a good chance you will get repeat purchases on your wines. It constantly amazes me that wineries around the world are not set up for tourism and more importantly education within their sales strategy. Europe is the biggest culprit with regards to not opening doors. One part of the world that has got the wine tourism mastered is Western Australia. I flew in quickly for a bottling last week and every time I visit a winery here it is a pleasure. It is not often that I can see a winery from the other side of the counter but it was Friday afternoon and the bottling had gone well. The Margaret River region is certainly one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world while wineries in the Swan Valley have mastered the experience for any visitor and embrace the passer bys. More than 600 000 people pass through a single winery in the Swan region each year – that is a lot of healthy brand building. A successful tourism business could mean that you do not have to spend so much time trying to entice buyers at one of the many trade fairs around the world. More wineries now are bringing their global sales forces to the winery for a week or so to allow the people who sell their wine to embrace the experience - a lot cheaper and more enjoyable than everyone living in London for a week. If you have a wine business you could do a lot worse than spend a few days visiting Western Australia to see the potential

Central American Dubai

February 2008

Having just returned from South America it was fascinating to visit the Republic of Panama for the first time. This is a country that is going ahead in such leaps and bounds that I have dubbed it Central America’s “Dubai”. It is notable to look at some of the benefits of working in this country that has some benefits for wine sales:
• Tourism is booming with over 1.2 million tourists a year ( in a country of just over 3 million) and a real global epicentre for travel
• Many international corporate companies are relocating their South American headquarters to Panama bringing high disposable income and causing a restaurant boom
• Stable democratic process – unusual in most of South America
• Dollar based economy and low inflation
• It is the most industrialized country and largest consumer in Central America
• Excellent health services resulting in many Americans utilizing this opportunity
• The large free trade zone allowing for viable access to other potentially new, developing and exciting markets in South America
• Recent approval for the commencement of widening the impressive Panama Canal bringing in billions of dollars to the economy. Panama will potentially rival Singapore in the future as a trading port.
• A well integrated and connected airline structure linking all major destinations in North and South America
• While Spanish is the official language many Panamanians are bilingual with English

WsF is currently establishing a direct link to market through Central America so for further discussion please contact Wine sans Frontieres.

On a more peculiar note, there are only 7 Australians living in Panama City and with a highly humid tropical climate it was bizarre to note that none of them drank. I am sure this is the only country in the world where this has happened.

Passport-Thanks mate

January 2008

February is already full and WsF is hitting the road running. With a range of clients in the north and vintage kicking off in the southern hemisphere, this month WsF will be visiting New Zealand, California, Panama, Argentina and Chile.
Panama is a new listing and can rightfully be called the epicentre of the world. Global trade, infrastructure, investment and tourism is booming here and should be a fascinating visit. I will update after the visit but for any interested parties meetings can be arranged in the other countries - just contact WsF.

Vintage 2008 - IF is the word

December 2007

While the wineries are shutting down for a few days for the festive season, Australia is gearing up for an interesting vintage for 2008. It has been well documented with regard to the major drought problems and the massive potential reductions in grape volume - the cyclic elements of the industry continue to roll. The latest is that there are more grapes in the vineyards than previously given credit for and estimates for the industry are rising. IF is a word that has been thrown around a lot this year – IF it rains, IF I can buy water, IF grape prices are sustainable, IF the industry listens to market feedback - IF, IF, IF. Some people are now stating that the 2008 vintage could be as high as 1.5 million tonnes, still putting it behind record levels of a few years ago, but a large crop under the circumstances none the less. I am not sure that it will be that high but one thing that I am thinking will happen in the industry is that within 12 months time about 10% of the vineyard production will have changed direction meaning that about 200 000 tonnes of fruit could be lost for future productions. Low grape prices for certain varieties, ongoing water restrictions on allocations and continued increase in imported wines will be the main factors.

Argie - for the taking

December 2007

Tango, gauchos, the Andes. This is what most of the world thinks of when Argentina is mentioned. Argentina comprises of nearly half of South America and is the world’s eighth largest country. Those who know also recognize Argentina as a major wine producer. Recent stats show that Argentina has about 26 000 vineyards which are represented in 213 000 hectares of vines planted which in turn produce about 1.5 billion litres of wine. Mendoza is the most important wine region and produces about 75% of the wine total.
The interesting aspect of Argentina is that the population of about 40 million people consumes over 1 billion litres of the production. This is in part why Argentine wines are not as strong in market share as other new world countries as the locals are very parochial when it comes to wine. There is an old expression that says the only thing that Argentines can do consistently well is eat. While they can certainly show a majority of the world how to barbeque there is a rapid change happening in their industry. Argentina is in my view one of the most exciting countries for wine in the world at the moment. The industry however needs to go ahead with unified objectives. At the moment there is massive growth in exports of wine, mainly bulk, going to countries like Russia, China, UK and Australia. This is hopefully where the industry will learn from the lessons that others have had to painfully learn. As the industry goes through the initial phase of good cash being paid up front I hope that they establish themselves as quality wine producers and invest wisely in market share. Many of the wines that are not exported are world class. There is a big drive with Malbec and it has the double advantage of being largely claimed as Argentina’s own and also makes great wines. Winemaking with a global view is increasing rapidly as is investment in the country and I see the exciting wines built around Malbec (and Bonarda) as being the spring board for success in the future. Not only will it provide a unique selling point against the world of cabernet sauvignon and merlot but it opens a wonderful marketing opportunity to showcase a specific blend profile. Meritage (USA), Cape Blend (South Africa) and Cabernet Shiraz (Australia) are all accepted as country specific blends with added value. They just need a marketable name and logo. The catalysts are in place and ready to go for this dynamic wine producer. My impression of Argentina at the moment is that it has it all to win – and all to lose.

Make 08 Great

To everyone who has contact with Wine sans Frontieres I wish you a safe and enjoyable 2008 and I hope that the start of this year was relaxed and you had the time to savour some good wines and good company.
I spent the festive season with family and friends in Australia which was wonderful after another full year. I also got some fishing in before what will be another hectic year. So much for seasonal peaks but that is what makes the global wine industry interesting.
Make 2008 memorable and try a few different things and some interesting wines and may the big one not get away from you this year.

Thirsty work

2007 was a big year in many ways. I have just tallied up the wines tasted last year for a grand total of 8, 744 wines from 27 different countries. This is just one of the reasons Wine sans Frontieres has one of the most comprehensive data bases of wines, wine styles and pricing in the world and continual investigation into the global wine portfolio is always increasing. Very few companies have the ability to draw upon resources from such a wide range of price points, varieties and styles. For all the development required for new programs for wines from around the world contact Wine sans Frontieres for further discussion.

Rheingau nails it

2007 has been a mixed bag for various regions around Europe this year. For those of you who enjoy the stunning wines from the Rheingau, I thought you might be interested in this vintage report just out from one fine producer - Balthasar Ress.

Since “vintage of the century” was already used to describe the wines of 2003, it’s difficult to concisely express what 2007 holds in store. It was an unusual year – marked by meteorological factors, starting with unusually high temperatures in April, during which vegetation progressed up to three weeks ahead of schedule, followed by the earliest blossoming ever recorded in the Rheingau, starting on 25th of May.

After warm days and sufficient precipitation in July – probably not every vacationer’s dream – favorable weather, for grapes at least, continued into late summer and early autumn. These warm, sunny days in combination with cold nights were ideal for the development of aromas. Thanks to ample water supplies, considerable quantities of minerals were released in the soil and absorbed by the grapes, which usually results in wines that are rich in extract and reflect the influence of their site-related “terroir.”

WsF becomes a MWCC

Recently I became aware of the Wine Century Club based in the US but with a growing membership around the world. It is fun, free and encourages the exploratory side of wine in the very best way. All you have to be able to do is prove (to yourself anyway) that you have tasted over 100 different grape varietals. I sat down and went through my tasting notes over the last few years and was quite happy that I made the 100 with a few to spare. Of course it helps to travel to a lot of out of the way regions but you should always try the regional specialities where ever you are anyway. I would encourage you to work towards this feat as it exposes you to some really interesting wines from a lot of wine making countries that do not always get the recognition that they deserve. With over 5000 grape varieties around the world you would think that this task is not so difficult but only just over 3% of people are approved on their first try. Good luck.