Show victims of own success

Buying a good bottle in today's market can be a daunting task and with so many labels and styles from which to choose, a little advice can be worth its weight in gold.

Common sense would tell us the person best suited to offering us good advice should be someone who's familiar with our needs, and understands the kinds of wines we enjoy. A friend maybe, or a knowledgeable wine merchant or salesperson.

But perhaps sense isn't all that common. We're much more likely to accept the advice of others that are largely anonymous to us – wine show judges, the wine press, and advertising agencies.

So what exactly are the pros and cons of the Australian wine show system?

To begin with, they are highly structured affairs which bring together vast collections of wines for assessment and the awarding of trophies and medals. Their heartland is the recognition of high standards of quality.

It's these aspects of quality that have largely "been responsible for getting the Australian wine industry where it is today," notes Peter Althaus, an expatriate Swiss and nowadays proprietor of Stoney Vineyard.

Elsewhere Vineyard's Eric Phillips recalls some of the early Royal Hobart Wine Shows, which first began in 1976. Entering was often a shot in the dark for local producers just starting out in the industry.

"A lot of people without experience in grape-growing and winemaking have needed some help...feedback from the judges, and supervision of their quality control," he explains.

"Today, the show system gives you the possibility of picking up industry trends... where judges are tending towards a particular style of wine. You can pick up that trend early on, and discuss it with the judges...to see if that is a trend that is desirable for you."

At its worst, the system encourages large, invariably mainland companies to create wines that are purpose-built to win awards.

Critics see the potential for such practices to diminish the value of the distinctive, handcrafted styles of wine which Tasmania typically produces.

"Each wine should have its own vintage character," Althaus says.

"It should not be like Coca Cola - all the same. The Australian wine show system favours strongly flavoured and heavily wooded styles that tend to stand out in a line-up. By way of comparison, my wines are more subtle and elegant, and are built to develop slowly in the bottle over many years."

Pointing out that ever-increasing rates of producer participation are set to exacerbate such discrimination, Althaus asks consumers to imagine what it must be like judging a class of 100 raw young cabernets.

Althaus believes that wine shows have become victims of their own success.

"Where I come from, wine judges would only judge around 30 wines per day," he adds.

"In France, it's even less."

No matter from which side of the tasting bench you argue, show results certainly provide plenty of fodder for wine marketers.

Forget how many awards a wine has gained, Althaus concludes.

The final assessment of a bottle's worth depends on one thing alone - whether or not the consumer likes what's inside it.

First published 24 November 1994: The Advocate