Australian Wines & Wineries
An informative blog on wines and wineries of Australia. Know all wine news, events and industry analysis.
Have you ever bought wines online? If not, you have missed out on the convenience and the ease of doing it. After all, all popular wine stores of Australia are not having their online sales channel for nothing. They must be having some pretty good reasons to do it. Had it not been for some really significant business gains in terms of sales or revenues, these stores would not have invested so heavily in online channels. So, what is it that an online wines company gain when you buy wine online?
At first, it saves itself from the need to have physical stores. The investment in a physical store with replenished stock is very high as compared to the investment in online store. With the physical stores, it is imperative to have inventory in the stock. However, when wines are being sold online, there might not be a need to keep wines in stock. Online wine stores make use of different models of delivery including the drop-ship model wherein it is the supplier which sends the stocks to customers. Therefore, the costs of warehouse and investments in stocks is saved. Secondly, it enlarges the scope of doing business to the whole country without limiting itself to a particular location. One online store is sufficient to garner traffic and achieve sales from whole country or even globally. There is no need to open the physical stores in different cities to achieve the strategy of business expansion. Rather, focus has to be on capturing the online media so as to have more customers. Third important gain by investing in the online sales channel is that the store remains in sync with the latest technology trends and is not aloof from it. In fact, the early beginners hold distinct advantage and can have more customers. Fourth gain is that there is a not a need to showcase the inventory to the users first. A customer has to buy a wine even if he wants to taste it first. So, a customer does not need to visit a physical store to see the wine before purchasing. Wines are not bought on visibility score but on taste. Therefore, it is immaterial if these are bought online or from physical store.
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Australia is famous for its red wines, with Shiraz leading the pack as the most widely grown grape variety and also used for making red wines. The whites are the second most popular grape varieties grown in Australia. Australian viticulture is also being transformed in a big way as wineries are using eco-friendly viticulture practices. These are turning organic in a big way. These are also using modern technology to aid more efficient and environment-friendly farming practices. Then, we have other classifications of the preservative-free, biodynamic and vegan wines, which are a craze among the health-conscious population of Australia. While organic wines of red varietal sell the most, the organic white wines are also very popular.
Some of the best wineries producing organic white wines in Australia are: 1. Botobolar- This winery has been certified organic by ACO. It is operated by Kevin and Trina Karstrom at present. They bought it from founders Gil and Vincie Wahlquist in 1994. 2. Coastal Estate- This small winery of 6 acres is known to produce wines biodynamically. Shiraz, Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir and Montepulciano are main grape varietals grown in this vineyard. 3. Gardners Ground- This vineyard is present within the Rivers Road Organic Farms in Canowindra in New South wales (NSW). Planting of vines began in 2001 and it took almost 3 years to produce first vintage from it. 4. Grosset- Grosset is more than 35 years old winery producing wines using the Riesling and the Cabernet grape varietals. These are certified by ACO and are 100 percent hand-picked and hand-pruned. It premium range of wine encompasses 9 wines including Riesling, Semillon Sauv Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 5. Kangarilla- Kangarilla derives its name from the local Kaurna people and the word ‘Road’ is added to its name for describing that it has embarked on a journey. 6. Lark Hill- This vineyard was established by Sue and Dave carpenter. The cold and dry nature of the site is generally not suited for popular varieties such as Shiraz or Cab Sauv, but it grows Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 7. Mount Horrocks- The vineyard is A-grade certified by ACO. It produced six wines every year comprising of Riesling, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Nero d’Avola. 8. Tamburlaine- Tamburlaine is the one of the largest producers of organic wines in Australia. It is quite renowned for adherence to this farming for wines. Apart from these wineries, there are others which produce white organic wines. Both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are two of the most beloved and popular red grape varieties across the globe. Their delightful aromas and flavours make them thoroughly enjoyable drinks that wine enthusiasts of all tastes and preferences can relish.
Although almost everybody loves these varietals, most people do not know how both of them differ from each other, in terms of style as well as flavour. Although quite similar, each of them has its own specific character set, and when they are fused together, an elegant and mouth-watering Cabernet Merlot blend is obtained, in which the individual traits of both varieties complement each other. Both Merlot and Cab Sav originated in France’s Bordeaux region sometime between the 1600s and 1700s. An astonishing fact is that their parent grape is actually the same – Cabernet Franc, which is probably why they are so similar to each other. Cabernet Sauvignon being older and bolder, feels like the older brother of Merlot. Its fruit contains higher levels of tannins, making the mouth feel dry. Cabernet Sauvignon wines generally have a strong and complex palate, with intense fruit flavours evident throughout the body of the wine. This grape variety also boasts of an impressive aging potential, with winemakers often commenting that Cab Sav wines need a longer aging time in the bottle before being opened so that the tannic level does not feel overpowering. Richer dishes and heaver meats pair exceptionally well with juicy yet powerful Cab Sav wines. Merlot, on the other hand, can be considered the younger sibling of the two. Its mellow characters and delicate flavours make it an attractive and easy-drinking wine. Featuring juicy and supple flavours of cherry and chocolate, Merlot is often regarded as a ‘dessert wine’ or crowd pleaser. A fantastic drink to pop open on casual dinner parties or family dinners, Merlot matches well with junk food items like cheeseburgers, steak frites and soft cheeses. In blends where Merlot acts as the dominant grape, its soft and fruity flavours allow the wine to taste marvellous even at a young age, making it a desirable and loved grape variety. Despite their differences, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend together exceptionally well, creating a wine that incorporates features from both these varieties. The Cabernet Sauvignon fruit provides tannins and a powerful backbone to the wine while the Merlot component adds juiciness and a light softness to it. The Cabernet Merlot blend is lauded by some as the greatest Australian red wine blend! Some believe Pinot Noir to be the most highly prized and romanticized red wine in the world. This juicy and delicious wine brings out powerful emotions within even the least romantic people, allowing them to freely express their hidden thoughts and desires. Pinot Noir has a loyal fan following; wine lovers have even dedicated a whole festival to this variety. A 2004 American movie Sideways based on this very wine had a profound effect on wine drinkers in USA, giving Pinot sales a boost in the international wine market while also labelling it as a drink associated with wine devotees.
This might have prompted some of you to ask – ‘Why does Pinot Noir have such a devoted following?’ One of the major reasons for this is that the Pinot Noir grape is very hard to grow. The Pinot grape is quite weak, making it susceptible to disease as well as mutation. It is also vulnerable to extreme heat or cold, rot and pests. The skin of these grapes needs gentle and careful handling in order to preserve the richness of the final product. This difficulty in growing the grape and manufacturing the wine leads to a higher bottle price for Pinots in comparison to other similarly styled red wines. But all this does not move Pinot lovers to go against their favourite wine. The aforementioned factors make it very difficult to find a great bottle of Pinot Noir wine, and Pinot lovers are always in search for “The One”. The Pinot Noir variety witnessed its origins in France’s Burgundy region. This lush region is still considered to be the very best for the production of exuberant Pinot Noir wines. Here, the growers and winemakers lovingly call Pinot Noir as Red Burgundy. Pinots from Burgundy boast of delicate, jammy and ripe flavours of red berries, mushrooms, cherries and forest floor. Although the most exquisite Pinot Noirs hail from Burgundy, the rest of the world especially Australia and New Zealand are not too far behind in crafting great Pinots that wine lovers of all ages can enjoy. Primary flavours of cherry, raspberry and cranberry can be experienced in Pinot Noir wines, with notes of clove, vanilla, caramel, mushroom and wet leaves evident throughout the wine. These wines are aged in French oak barrels so as to provide them with medium acidity and a smooth tannin structure. With cellaring potential ranging from two years to two decades, Pinot Noirs taste perfect at serving temperatures of approximately 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Pairing magnificently with a wide variety of cuisines, some of the best dishes to consume with a glass of flavoursome Pinot Noir include – Mushroom Risotto, White Pizza, Lobster Pea Ravioli with cream, Spiced duck with Confit Ragu, and Polenta and wild mushrooms paired with Goat cheese and herbs. Winter Brook Pinot Noir, Pierro Pinos Pinot Noir, Rockburn Pinot Noir, Holm Oak Pinot Noir and Harewood Estate F Block Pinot Noir are some splendid examples of fruit-driven, vibrant and mouth-watering Pinot Noir wines. |