Quality grapes, quality wine | Shiraz grapes grow extremely well in the dry Barossa Valley of South Australia
STOCKWELL, Aus. — If you’ve ever tasted a bottle of premium Australian shiraz, then you’ve probably had a taste of Australia’s Barossa Valley.
Blessed with rich, productive soil and ample sunshine, the Barossa Valley is one of Australia’s most renowned grape growing regions.
And this year’s crop is shaping up to be a good one, says local grower Jeffrey Hoffmann.
“I think we’re looking at a very excellent vintage this year,” said Hoffmann, who has been selling grapes to local winemakers for the past 40 years.
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“I reckon it’s going to be a real cracker.”
The Hoffmann family has been growing grapes in the Barossa Valley for more than 130 years.
Jeff’s son, Adrian, has recently taken over the operation and is in charge of production and marketing.
Adrian is also chair of Grape Barossa, an industry association that promotes the use of Barossa grapes in Australian wine.
The Hoffmanns’ operation, formally known as Dimchurch Vineyards, includes 300 acres in the north end of the valley and produces grenache, mataro, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz grapes.
Shiraz is the king of reds in the Barossa and is known among vintners and wine connoisseurs for its rich, complex flavouring.
Old-vine shiraz grapes can fetch $5,000 to $10,000 per tonne from a premium winemaker.
Lower-valued grape varieties that are used by large commercial wineries cost around $1,000 per tonne.
The Hoffmanns were recently hand-picking on a block of 80-year-old shiraz vines, grapes that are highly valued by quality winemakers.
With few exceptions, the Hoffmanns hand-pick all of their grapes to avoid damaging the fruit and the vines.
Machine picking is more common on large commercial vineyards that grow vast quantities of fruit and produce wine on an industrial scale.
Young vines are generally more productive and can often yield as much as three to four tonnes per acre.
Older vines produce fewer grapes, often 1.5 to two tonnes per acre, but their fruit is generally more flavourful and commands a higher price among quality vintners.
“We can do very good shiraz out at this end of the valley because of our drier climate and our shallower soils,” said Hoffmann.
“The vines are not so vigorous so they produce a smaller berry and fewer bunches per vine, but they are very flavourful and make a very intense wine.”
The Australian grape industry has gone through challenging times in recent years, but 2012 is shaping up to be a good one, at least in South Australia.
The Barossa Valley is expected to produce a large crop with above-average quality.
Other grape-producing regions in Australia received too much rain throughout the growing and picking seasons so production and quality suffered in some areas.
A few years ago, large commercial wineries planted enormous quantities of new vines in Australia.
But when the world economy tanked in late 2008, the demand for Australian wine in the United Sates, Europe and Asia softened, leaving a glut of inexpensive grapes on the domestic market.
The market downturn affected all Australian growers, but smaller producers who sold their fruit primarily into premium domestic markets came through the downturn in better shape, said Hoffmann.
“The prices right now are holding out pretty well,” he said.
“In some cases, they could be a bit better, but if you’re … growing premium grapes, the prices are still holding fairly well and its still a pretty viable proposition.”
Adrian, the family’s sixth generation involved in Barossa grape production, said many of Barossa’s grape growers and vintners are trying to differentiate their products by promoting Barossa quality.
That strategy appears to be working.
“We’ve got a lot of premium winemakers that are chasing our fruit right now,” he said.
“We’ve got some material … that’s selling for $4,500 to $5,000 a tonne so for that type of material, we’re looking at pretty good profitability.”
Australian wines are facing tough competition from high quality wines that are produced in Chile and Argentina at a low cost.
Adrian said Australia’s challenge is to continue to produce high quality wines at a reasonable price.
“We can’t compete against (those countries) … on price so what we have to do is continue to increase our quality, punch above our weight, deliver at a reasonable price point and continue to exceed people’s expectations.”
Chinese consumers, particularly those in higher income brackets, are developing a healthy appetite for Australian wines. Consumption of fine imported wine has increased over the past few years and now represents an important market for the Australian industry.
