©2007, The Birmingham Post
James Halliday is one of Australian wine's "grand old men". He is a poacher-turned-gamekeeper, now a respected wine-writer and critic, but previously responsible for establishing two leading wineries, Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley, and Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley.
The author of the Wine Atlas of Australia and New Zealand in 1998, and the Australian Wine Companion series, his latest publication is the Wine Atlas of Australia. To be more specific, it's a fully-revised and updated version of the Atlas, incorporating profiles of leading wineries taken from the Companion.
Since the original Wine Atlas was published, the Australian wine industry has grown enormously. The number of wineries has increased from 990 to 2200; the area of vineyard from 98,500 to 164,900 hectares; and the volume of production from 773 to over 1500 million litres.
Yes the most dramatic change is associated with exports. In 1985, Australia imported more wine than it exported, and its exports of $8.5 million did not even register in international trade figures. Twenty years on, Australia was exporting 600 million litres worth $2.74 billion and achieving fourth place in world rankings, just behind Spain.
During this period, there has been a fundamental shift in the balance of trade from Old World to New World. Australia, in particular, has persuaded wine consumers, whether the price-point is high or low, that their wines deliver consistent quality across the spectrum of wine styles.
Their selection and range are enormous and varied: sparkling wine from Tasmania; Riesling from Clare Valley; Semillon from Hunter Valley; Pinot Noir from Yarra Valley; Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra; and Shiraz from Barossa Valley. The list goes on.
The focus of the Atlas is to concentrate on the "terroir". This is the French notion that looks at the whole package of growing conditions which affect the wine, and represent the effects of climate, soils and landscape. The concept is enshrined in the French Appellation Controllee laws, which strictly regulate the wine producers, specifying grape variety, methods of viticulture, etc.
Australia has no such constraints, and began with a scattergun approach of planting any grape variety in any geographical location. Today there is now greater emphasis on matching grape variety to soil and climate and, as the wine industry matures this sense of specific geographic location for certain wine-styles is finding increasing favour.
Halliday appreciates that, in dominating the world's export markets, Australia has focussed on "the cheap and cheerful, sunshine in a bottle" wines. Nevertheless, while these wines will continue to take the lion's share, this regional diversity will allow Australia to move forward, with the focus based on terroir.
The Atlas itself is a description of each of the main regions, the producers and their wines. Within each region, there is a summary of the climate, soil, topography and principal grape varieties. What it doesn't do is provide vintage details and, for that information, you will need to acquire a wine companion.
At £30, it's beautifully illustrated, with excellent maps and photographs. The text, too, is detailed and comprehensive, yet easy to follow. All in all, a splendidly-packaged update, and a "must-have" for any serious Australian wine lover.
Wine Atlas of Australia by James Halliday (Mitchell Beazley £30)
I recently met up with Mario Fantinel at "The Kenilworth". His family winery, Vigneti Fantinel was established in 1969 by his grandfather, an hotelier and restaurateur, who had a great love of wine.
Today, the family own some 300 hectares of vineyards in the Friuli region of NE Italy, close to the border with Slovenia. The area is one of Italy's best-kept secrets, with a fine reputation for white wine, and an improving track-record for red. It enjoys a perfect situation, with warm days and cool nights, which are essential to preserve the aromas and freshness of the ripening grapes.
On show was their Pinot Grigio 2005, which tasted of white plums layered with spice. I particularly enjoyed their Tocai Friulano, an indigenous variety that was citrus-fresh, with fleshy stone-fruit and almonds. Incidentally, the term Tocai is to be dropped to avoid confusion with Hungarian Tokay, a sweet wine using different grapes.
Their Sauvignon 2005 is a little atypical from the usual Sancerre, being fuller and richer. Finally, tasting of black-cherry and almond is their Refosco 2002.
Fantinel's wines are mainly available through the restaurant trade and, for further details, contact their UK agents, Matthew Clark (www.matthewclark.co.uk)
Finally, following a Fine Claret Tasting at Tanners of Shrewsbury, my highlights were as follows:
Click on www.tanners-wines.co.uk or telephone: 01743.234455.