| The only precaution to travel in Australia was to make sure the car would not break down in the middle of nowhere. When we set off, our instinct urged us to localize any small village on a map. The distances between the wine areas of the biggest island in the world were to be considered in thousands of kilometres. Therefore, having a full tank and the right provisions were vital. We then became use to having chutney and verjuice but not Vegemite : this Australian mixture made of extract of brewer's yeast. |
| The immensity and the virginity of the territory participated in the increasing success of the tourist industry. We noticed right away how the wine business had had the good idea to take advantage of it. The small sized wineries did exist in Australia and the main part of their income did not come from exporting but from selling directly to its visitors. The wine growers had been acute by concluding agreements with tour operators, by taking part in their promotional campaigns. Welcoming customers on the estate was everything except a secondary income. |
| Real melting-pot, this country of immigrants had known how to establish a state of open-mindness, doubled with an Anglo-Saxon culture oriented towards services. Keeping a high quality and marketing events in the wineries aimed at the north European baby-boomers, the Americans and the Asian people, all of them having an increasing purchasing power. Even with a limited budget, packaging and events on the estate were conceived with a sharp sense of perfection. Besides, to be assisted in their tasting room, wine growers relied on their cellar managers: young and talented sommeliers were therefore hired to do the job. |
| Our enthusisam for some Australian wines became quite obvious. The absolute fruit and the silky tannin of the shiraz by Two Hands was so different from the explosion of black currant and blackberry aromas, from the short and dry mouth as well. The chardonnay from Chapel Hill was divinely unwooded. In the heart of the huge fields of lavender, the sparkling merlot by Gibson and the hundred-years-old grenaches noirs by Flat Turkey were very attractive. In spite of the very warm climate of Clare valley, Jim Barry proposed us spicy rieslings with a remarkable capacity for aging. |
| On Kangaroo Island, the cabernets, the malbec and the sangiovese from the Islander Estate were quite elegant and the cuvée by Cape d’Estaing had international class. This vineyard was harvested at night and the grapes were immediately embarked on the boat towards Boar Rock’s, near Adelaide. This company, quite different from the French system of coopératives, proposed to their members to share their material and human resources. Here, wine makers were able to get help in wine growing, pumping-over, racking and bottling in the respect of each vineyard where the grapes came from. |
| McLaren: Boar’s Rock, Tintara, D'Arenberg, Kay Brothers, Chapel Hill, Warri Warri - Nelson: Richmond - Barossa: Penfolds, Two Hands, Gibson’s, Peter Lehman, Jacob’s Creek, Flat Turkey - Clare: Tim Adams, Neagles Rock, Mitchell, Neil Paulett, Jim Barry, Skillogalee - Kangaroo Island: Dudley Partners, Sunset, The Islander Estate, Cape D'Estaing - Yarra: Dominique Portet, Chandon, Yering Station, Whispering Hills, Seville Hills, Ainsworth Estate, Five Oaks, Brammar Estate, Tarrawarra. |
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australia
sunshine on Clare valley
hundred-year-old grenaches at Flat Turkey in Barossa valley
austral spring in McLaren valley
lichen on Kangaroo Island
bunch of lavander at Gibson’s
country feeling in Nelson vineyard