I make my usual disclaimer: while there are two periods of
intense tasting activity in the 12 months during which the tasting notes for
this edition were made, and while some wines are tasted more than once, an
overarching comparative tasting of all the best wines is simply not possible,
however desirable it might be.
So the points for the individual wines scoring 94 or above stand uncorrected by the wisdom of hindsight. Nonetheless, the link between variety and region (or, if you prefer, between variety and terroir) is in most instances strikingly evident. It is for this reason that I have shown the region for each of the best wines. While the short-term focus of the export industry is the paramount necessity of reducing stock either in bulk or under the generic bottling of BOB (Buyer Own Brand), medium and longer term prosperity will depend on a sense of place, of regional identity.
Brand Australia has been the foundation upon which the success of the past 20 years has been built, but all recognise it is time to move on. While some naysayers may regard this as marketing rhetoric, the truth is that Australia is blessed with an unmatched range of terroir (including climate in that deceptively simple term) enabling it to make wines ranging from the uniquely complex fortified wines of Rutherglen (fashioned from frontignac and muscadelle, known locally as muscat and tokay), to the 100-year-old Para Liqueur of Seppelt in the Barossa Valley, all the way through to the exceptional sparkling wines of Tasmania, grown in a climate every bit as cool as that of Champagne.
.
I should also point out that the cut-off for listing the wines of each variety differs considerably, depending on the strength of the class concerned.
So the points for the individual wines scoring 94 or above stand uncorrected by the wisdom of hindsight. Nonetheless, the link between variety and region (or, if you prefer, between variety and terroir) is in most instances strikingly evident. It is for this reason that I have shown the region for each of the best wines. While the short-term focus of the export industry is the paramount necessity of reducing stock either in bulk or under the generic bottling of BOB (Buyer Own Brand), medium and longer term prosperity will depend on a sense of place, of regional identity.
Brand Australia has been the foundation upon which the success of the past 20 years has been built, but all recognise it is time to move on. While some naysayers may regard this as marketing rhetoric, the truth is that Australia is blessed with an unmatched range of terroir (including climate in that deceptively simple term) enabling it to make wines ranging from the uniquely complex fortified wines of Rutherglen (fashioned from frontignac and muscadelle, known locally as muscat and tokay), to the 100-year-old Para Liqueur of Seppelt in the Barossa Valley, all the way through to the exceptional sparkling wines of Tasmania, grown in a climate every bit as cool as that of Champagne.
.
I should also point out that the cut-off for listing the wines of each variety differs considerably, depending on the strength of the class concerned.
