Lumen Winter 2023 - Flipbook - Page 20
Goodbye to Grenache?
So long Shiraz?
New wines a hot topic
By Simon Behenna
Growing up, Sue Bastian (Associate
Professor in Oenology and Sensory
Studies at the School of Agriculture, Food
and Wine) remembers her parents being
teetotallers … except for when the Vicar
came around, which was often, and then
they’d wheel out the drinks trolley and pour
glasses of sherry from the crystal decanter.
Sometimes Sue’s father would allow her a
tiny sip after a Saturday lunch, but it wasn’t
until later in life that she realised there was
much more to wine than cream sherry.
In just a few short decades, our nation’s
familial fondness for sherry all but died out.
Mid-century migration sparked a cultural
change in the palates of Australians, and
the wine industry today is a significant
contributor to the Australian economy and
culture. Our taste for wine, though, still seems
relatively predictable. According to 2021-22
data from Wine Australia, the top-selling still
wine varieties are Sauvignon Blanc (18%),
Shiraz (18%), Chardonnay (10%), Cabernet
Sauvignon (9%) and Pinot Noir (6%).
“If we want those regions to continue
to grow grapes, then we need to look at
alternative varieties,” says Richard. “We’ve
historically grown varieties that were popular
in France, but the growing conditions in
France aren’t the same as they are in, say,
Berri. We need to be looking at varieties that
come from warmer locales, like in Spain
or Greece, where they’re better adapted to
warmer growing conditions.”
If, for example, you
always select Syrah,
you’ll probably find
Montepulciano moreish;
if you covet Cabernet, it’s
comparable to Touriga
Nacional; if you get into
Grenache, you’ll probably
like Nero D’avola.
“So if inland regions like the Riverland,
Sunraysia, and the Riverina, which produce
about two-thirds of Australia’s wine, get
hotter and receive less rainfall, and if there’s
less water accessible through irrigation from
the Murray and other river systems, then
that’s going to be a pretty big hit.”
With many alternative varieties already
commercially available, the onus now is
upon the producers to create awareness,
and consumers to try a broader range of
wines. “We need wines to match our very
outdoorsy, Mediterranean climate,” says
Sue. “There are many alternative varieties
that can be produced into a refined wine
with good structure, but are perhaps also
lighter and fruity and approachable. On a
36oC day, for example, who wouldn’t prefer
a slightly chilled, medium-bodied red over
a big, heavy one? We’ve done consumer
research and every wine that we’ve shown
– purely Australian wines made from these
alternative varieties – has been loved.”
Enter what, for now at least, are referred to
as ‘alternative’ varieties of vines which are
more suited to our harsher, drier conditions
and poorer soils.
With a healthy international interest in our
innovations, another challenge is to drive
the research and innovation to meet global
challenges, principally those associated with
Dr Richard Muhlack, Senior Lecturer,
who teaches students at the Waite campus
about the growing need for sustainable
production, argues that these varieties may
not be sustainable for a hotter, drier future.
“The challenge in Australia is that we’ve got
significant production located in regions
which are already hot and dry and which are
going to become hotter and drier,” he says.
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THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
climate change. Kerry Wilkinson (Professor
of Oenology) is particularly interested in
how vineyards and wineries can manage one
of the catastrophes that comes with warmer
and drier climates: bushfires.
“Bushfires are a really wicked problem that’s
going to keep occurring as a consequence
of climate change,” says Kerry. “In recent
years, it’s not just an issue for Australian
grape growers and winemakers; we’ve seen
fires in the US, South Africa, Canada, some
parts of Europe and Chile. We are going to
experience more bushfires, we just don’t
