Whilst living in Australia, Elaine became a huge fan of their wines, but when she returned home, found none of the best ones were stocked by local wine-merchants. The problem she found was that Australian wine is dominated by a handful of giant producers, such as Hardys, Jacobs Creek and Wolf Blass, with little or no room for the boutique producers.

Elaine believes that the quality lies with the smaller producers and so, with the courage of her convictions, set up “The Secret Vine”, with a view to importing these wines into the English market.

Tonight, she put on 8 wines from her portfolio, with the producers, for the most part, based in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

The Wines

1. Lark Hill Merlot 2003 Canberra NSW (£18)

Between 500 and 860 m above sea-level, the Canberra district enjoys a continental climate with a mix of dry summers, but with cool nights, giving way to a cool autumn, with harvests frequently interrupted by heavy rain.

The region has suffered in the past from a lack of technical expertise, but this has been overcome by the use of consultants. Lark Hill is owned by Dr. David and Sue Carpenter, who have defied the odds by the quality of their Pinot Noir.

With regard to the Merlot, there were animal, gamey notes, with flavours of dark plums and leather. Smooth, soft, rich and dry, I felt the finish was abrupt and flat, and that the wine was starting to dry out. Drink it up! Not worth the money. (CHP 14)

The Hunter Valley is a viticultural anomaly, and primarily owes its fame to its proximity to Sydney and tourism. The main hazard is heavy rain during the vintage, and high humidity.

Despite this, the Lower Hunter has attained a world-class reputation for its Semillon and Shiraz. The former need time to develop in bottle to allow it to gain weight and complexity. The latter tend to be rather leathery, earthy and astringent when young, but can mature graciously. Verdelho, a variety better known as a constituent grape of Madeira, is also popular and best drunk young.

The district of Cowra is in the Central Ranges zone in New South Wales and, despite enjoying a hot, dry climate, has established a reputation for Chardonnay. By no means a cool-climate region, Mudgee is warm and dry, with less humidity. As a region, 75% of production is red

The remote Tumbarumba vineyards are close to the Snowy Mountains and, by Australian standards, are very cool-climate. It therefore follows that the region is best for sparkling wine, from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but it is also known for its bold style of Sauvignon Blanc.

2. First Creek Three Degrees Shiraz 2004 (£9)

Fruit sourced from Hunter Valley, Mudgee and Cowra. Light, high-toned leather black fruit, followed by tannin, pepper and a reasonable finish. Better value. (CHP 14)

3. First Creek Three Degrees Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (£9)

Semillon sourced from Hunter Valley; Sauvignon Banc from Tumbarumba. Lemon fresh with a hint of passion fruit, it’s light and crisp, although a bit watery. Lightweight. (CHP 14)

4. Capercaillie “The Creel” Semillon 2008 (£15)

A winery with a fine reputation, run by veteran Alasdair Sutherland. Crisp lemon, with a backnote of tropical fruit. Full, rich, with waxy lanolin characters. It will gain a lot more character, depth and complexity, and will improve as it ages. (CHP 16+ (in 6 yrs).

5. First Creek Verdelho 2007 (£15)

Mouthfilling, with rich lime and tropical fruit flavours, described by Elaine as “sunshine in a glass”. Quite spicy, but developing an awkward bitter finish. Lacks freshness. Too old?(CHP 13).

6. Cuttaway Hill Chardonnay 2006 Bowral (Southern Highlands) (£12)

A cool, sub-temperate climate with even rainfall distribution. A region noted for its fragrant and elegant Chardonnay. This 38 ha estate is owned by the O’Neil family. A classic New World combination of vanilla, smoke and white-peach. Quite rich, spicy and mouthfilling, but again a little short with a bitter finish. Disappointing. (CHP 13)

7. Windowrie Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (£18)

Although the Windowrie winery is based in Cowra, the fruit for this wine is sourced from the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. With its high elevation, this cool-climate region is best known for its whites. Juicy, black fruits and green peppers developed earthy bitter notes. Unripe and really poor for the price. (CHP 11)

8. Capercaillie Ceilidh Shiraz 2005 Hunter Valley (£24)

50% Hunter Valley, 35% McLaren Vale, 15% Barossa Valley. A little reduction (stinky rubbery smells) was quickly removed by swirling, to reveal juicy blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, packed with tight fine-grained tannins, enlivened with earthy, pepper characters. It then developed into a long finish. At last a wine worth drinking, but what a price! (CHP 17)

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Other than enjoying wine (and wearing strong perfume) Elaine professed she knew little about the subject and this lack of insight was echoed by Tom, who peppered his presentation with a litany of irritating inaccuracies. It’s one thing enjoying a glass of white on the patio in Sydney, but quite another sourcing something special to ship over to the UK that will stand out in a crowd.

Developing a portfolio based on Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals garnered from various Australian wine shows is a perilous strategy. Just because a wine was a medal-winner doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s any good, as there always remains a question-mark over the quality of the judges and wines being judged.

Personally, I believe that, to succeed in the wine business, you need a great deal more than sales patter, and a simple conviction that your wines are great. You must know your subject and do your homework. Just because you think a wine is good may not be good enough for a wine professional who has to list the wine in a restaurant or stock a wine in a shop.

As for price, the economics don’t stack up. The cost of importing on a small scale is horrendous, with the result that reasonably priced wines in Australia become overpriced in the UK. All the wines were too dear, from £9 at entry level to £24 at the top.

Elaine is not the first person I’ve met seeking to sell high-end boutique Australian wines in the UK. His, too, were overpriced, yet he had a better range and price/quality ratio. He went bust after 18 months.

Whilst I don’t mean Elaine any ill, there’s an old adage in the wine business as to how to make a small fortune. You start off with a large one ... enough said.

Tuesday, 30th June

(the second tasting in a month! Who said you can’t have

too much of a good thing!)

A TASTE OF AUSTRIA

This time it’s personal. I’m a great admirer of both

red and white Austrian wines, and I’d like you all to share my passion.

A long time in the making (I wanted to put this on last year), there

will be plenty of treats and surprises in store.

(entry £10 per head)

FRIDAY, 10th July 2009

BIN ENDS ANNUAL BARBECUE

Roll up, roll up for an end-of-term knees up at Derek and

Barbara Lamb’s home in Quinton.

There’ll be plenty of great nosh (veggies will be catered for) and

more than enough wine for everyone, all for a ridiculously reasonable

£15 per head. Tickets will be available from Margaret Hale

(at tastings or phone 0121 454 4005, e.mail: margaret.hale@tiscali.co.uk)

THERE WILL BE NO “BIN ENDS” TASTING IN AUGUST

as we’ll all be on our hols ...

But over the holidays, please sharpen your taste-buds for ...

Tuesday, 22nd September 2009

Once again, we welcome Wine Educator Laura Clay

who will be bringing along a selection of Portuguese wines

for us to sample and talk about.

(£10 per head)

Don’t forget to book your place/s for the tastings in the usual way,

via: www.birminghamplus.com/binends,

and follow the links ....

Please note my website link:
www.clives-wines.com