What do Australian wine and lederhosen have in common? Well actually more than you might think. Besides the German influence in the Barossa Valley, Aussie-born wine educator Mark Davidson was brought up wearing leather breeches. He overcame this trauma to become one of Vancouver’s first sommeliers and was instrumental in establishing formal wine education here in BC.
Today Davidson is the education director for Wine Australia. He chatted with me about the evolution of Australian wine and shares his tips for the Vancouver International Wine Festival.
Australian wine used to be the number one import in BC. Now the US has top honour and Italy is vying for second place. What do you attribute this decline to?
We pushed too much of the cheap and cheerful. At that end there’s not a lot of loyalty and people move on. A little bit of boredom may have set in.
What’s Australia’s strategy to win back wine drinkers?
Regional, regional, regional. Rather than talking Australian wine we need to do what Mondavi and the early pioneers in Napa did very well which was talk region. It’s worth spending a bit of extra money on a particular wine from a region because they specialize in whatever it is. When you get into the $15-$30 range, Australia offers regionally-specific wines with tremendous character and value for money.
How will this play out at the VIWF?
If you look at the seminars we’re doing, the wines that are represented tell stories about region, history and the evolution that is going on with Australian wine. The strategy is the same as it has been for the last four or five years.
Besides Shiraz, is there another grape variety in that you are particularly excited about in Australia?
Lots. There’s so much diversity. But I gotta say, and I am drinking it right now as we speak, Grenache from McLaren Vale.
Why?
Badly made Grenache or Grenache-based wines can be really candied, soft and awful, and that exists in Australia. But now what we are finding is that there is better work done with the viticulture, understanding clones and managing yields. We’re getting these beautiful wines that have this savoury character, spice and structural complexity that is really necessary along with the generosity and softness of fruit that make them unbelievably juicy and delicious to drink.
To someone who might be jaded about Aussie wine, what would you recommend they seek out in the tasting room to change their opinion?
Try dry Riesling from Eden Valley or Clare. Pewsey Vale is the perfect example of a crisp lively Australian wine that would change your perception. Also have a look at good Chardonnay because it’s a totally different beast. They’re not the big oaky, pineapple-y styles of the past. And experiment with Shiraz. Have a look at some of these cooler climate areas from Victoria and frankly revisit classic areas like Barossa because thing are constantly evolving.
What is the message of Aussie wine that you wish wine drinkers to walk away with?
The diversity that exists in a famous wine producing country like France; that exists in Australia. Obviously Shiraz is our calling card but outside of that, we’ve got unbelievable diversity from sparkling wine through to light delicate whites and reds, full-flavoured rich wines all the way through to fortified wines.
• The 37th annual Vancouver International Wine Festival runs Feb.20 to March 1. VanWineFest.ca
