Comments on: California is not the next Australia

By: Good Reads Wednesday « Artisan Family of Wines

Good Reads Wednesday « Artisan Family of Wines — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:29:24 +0000

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By: Tim Smith

Tim Smith — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:23:44 +0000

It is interesting the Fred Franzia, is now shipping the Crane Lake “Down Under” label Chardonnay, which is selling all over the country for less than $4.00 a bottle. Which is not helping their overall image.
I work the Eastern Washington Market as a supplier and as a sales representive for a major wholesaler, and consumers are not longer looking for any wines from Austrialian wines that is over $8.00..and demand pricing to be around $7.00 for a 1.5 liter.

The Northwest wines are still strong, but the California Wines still have about a 35% market share and growing…

Maybe things will turn around in 2010…but ever consumer that I talk to, is looking for great tasting wines, for a great value, and they are not afraid to purchase cases if there is some great ratings, and recommendation.

We have a completely new consumer who is more knowledabel was every. I see only growth in the next two or three years with US wines…

At least that is my view!

Keep enjoying wines and food pairings, which will say our industry from going South…

By: Charlie Olken

Charlie Olken — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:45:18 +0000

Note to Mat Lewis–

Whatever troubles are affecting the mass market brands in Australia are almost totally unrelated to the expensive wines coming out of Western Australia with its brilliant array of growing areas from Pemberton to the Swan Valley and everywhere in between.

Issues like wine quality relative to the price point competition affect folks like Leeuwin and Capel Vale and all the rest of the producers out there. The change in the value of the US dollar affects everyone, not just the folks in Oz.

By: winenxt

winenxt — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:51:50 +0000

i don’t agree… i think USA has big consumption of wine.. thus their home market will protect them from crises..

By: Mat Lewis

Mat Lewis — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:46:39 +0000

Hi
Fascinating to see a US view of the apparent downward spiral of the Australia wine industry, from when it seems only yesterday it was embraced by world markets, as flavor of month.
What the world probably doesnt read, is that huge tax incentive schemes were built around the wine industry in Australia, especially in Western Australia where I am based in the mid 90’s. These schemes put huge on volumes of wine availible and brought a flood of brands that were marketing driven. As Robert Mondavi discovered,Margaret River and indentified the region as being as close to Bordeaux as anywhere in the world, and the emerging cooler regions of Pemberton and the Great Southern are now coming into their own with small family wineries “growing their domestic and international sales base”.

As Australia emerges from this process of natural selection and survival of the fittest in this industry, one must remember for a country of just over 20 million people, it punches so well above its weight and its people have a passion and loyalty to its allies throughout time. Having coordinated a Second Generation Winemakers tasting in Perth Thursday night, well over 1200 people turned up for lightly marketed event, where each of the wineries shared they have been in the best in years, due to the customer seeking quality and value for money, as well as that personality and character that comes through! Exiciting times to witness when you can say – its not how you go down, its how you came back!