Concern over swing to pinot

AUSTRALASIAN pinot noir has never been better but nevertheless the unthinkable is happening to the shiraz and cabernet sauvignon dominated Australian red wine industry.

Despite the $2 to $3 million invested in vineyards for full-flavoured traditional varieties, the influential top end of the wine buying public is moving its focus to pinot noir.

There has been a fundamental change in the marketplace and it is probable that most wine producers have not noticed it.

For the first time in Australia’s wine history, pinot noir is now outselling both shiraz and cabernets in some of our upmarket wine outlets.

The potential impact, if the trend continues, on an unprepared industry could be disastrous and as serious as the New Zealand sauvignon blanc threat to Australia’s chardonnay.

Sauvignon blanc became Australia’s largest selling white wine varietal about 18 months ago, despite producing only 64,000 tonnes as against chardonnay’s 384,000 tonnes that year.

How could this be so? The answer is New Zealand.

As Australia’s pinot noir crush has remained at about 3.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent of red wine production between the 2003 and 2009 vintages, where is this pinot coming from?

The answer is, once more, New Zealand.

And these pinot noir shipments are going to bring a lot of pain and dislocation for our industry with them.

One Perth-based wine bar’s biggest selling red at under $30 is Craggy Range’s Wild Rock Central Otago (New Zealand’s South Island) Pinot Noir 2008 (18.2 points).

The most popular red at under $60 is Amisfield’s Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008 (18.5pts).

Despite the powerful NZ pinot imagery, in three recent comprehensive pinot noir tastings, WA’s Castle Rock 2009 (17.9pts and $33) and Picardy 2008 (18.3pts and $39) matched those from across the Tasman with ease.

At the top end, the still very youthful Bass Phillip Premium 2008 release from Victoria (18.8pts) matched New Zealand’s Felton Road Block 3 2009 (18.8pts) and Ata Rangi’s 2009 (18.8pts).