WINE: Mary Dowey togs out for an Australian wine-tasting extravaganza in the unlikely setting of Croke Park
No sooner had I taken the pledge never to set foot in a wine fair again than a load of Aussies trundled into town for their annual tasting in Croke Park, Dublin. More than any other nation I can think of, Australian winemakers are always bouncily enthusiastic, warming up the wintry Hogan Stand with their wide, sunny smiles. And I've tasted more top-drawer wines from Down Under in the past year or so than ever before - which knocks on the head the widespread notion that Australia can manage nothing better than pleasant plonk. So the wine-fair pledge was parked for a day.
What a bunch of big names. It was like strolling through the pages of a glossy magazine feature on Australian wine. There was Tony Jordan of Green Point in the Yarra Valley; Vanya Cullen of Cullen Wines in Margaret River; Wayne Stehbens from Katnook Estate in Coonawarra; Steve Webber of De Bortoli, also in the Yarra; Adam Eggins of Wakefield in the Clare Valley; Phil Laffer of the giant Orlando-Wyndham, coming to salute the most successful market in the world for his Jacob's Creek . . . and I don't know who else.
The Aussies like to talk non-stop, so tasting the array of wines on show with even a glimmer of focus was difficult. But this event had one or two terrific features that alone made it worthwhile. One was a series of unmanned tasting tables at the far end of the room displaying, between them, a wide selection of screwcapped wines and a dazzling line-up of Shirazes from a host of different regions. Both categories were studded with winners.
Two tasting seminars constituted the other big plus. I attended "The Case for Cabernet" presented by Vanya Cullen - a look at why this grape should have been so severely, and perhaps inappropriately, overshadowed in Australia by Shiraz, with nine top Cabs to add weight to the argument. (One interesting theory, by the way, is that Penfolds winemaker Max Schubert changed the direction of the entire Australian wine industry in the early 1950s by using Shiraz to invent Grange Hermitage - soon to become recognised as the country's greatest wine.)
By 1959, the production of Cabernet had dwindled to a trickle. It was only in the 1980s that plantings increased significantly and wines of better quality began to appear, with ripe fruit and soft tannins instead of the mean, green style so common in the 1960s and 70s. "But it would be a pity if Cabernet Sauvignon went the same route as Shiraz - being picked too ripe," Vanya Cullen warned. Spot on. I fear it's happening already, to judge from some of the over-lush, over-alcoholic Cabernets sampled at the Aussie fair.
What other news? The 2005 harvest has started three weeks earlier than usual. Quality is expected to be up and quantity down - all to the good, in view of Australia's over-supply problem. According to Paul Henry, chief executive of the Australian Wine Bureau in London, we can expect quality to improve steadily over the coming years as the vines from the widespread new plantings of 1996 mature enough to deliver decent, flavoursome fruit.
We'll also see much more excitement on the shelves, as winemakers experiment with different grape varieties in different locations. "People will discover that Australia isn't just a two-card trick," Henry stresses. "There's a lot more than just Chardonnay and Shiraz."
The biggest talking point of the day? Whether Foster's, the Australian brewing company which already owns major wine company Beringer Blass, will buy Southcorp, one of the country's other giants. If it does, how on earth will the resulting colossus manage scads of brands, all in competition? A massive shake-out is forecast.
The best drop of the day? Green Point Z*D Blanc de Blancs 2001, the utterly delicious new sparkling wine from Tony Jordan. Made entirely from Chardonnay grapes, it's fresh, lemony and refined, with the faintest tinge of honey mid-palate and a crisp, bracing finish. (ZD stands for zero dosage - meaning that absolutely no sugar has been added in the topping-up process before bottling, so it is bone-dry.) It should be here in a few months and is expected to sell at the same price as Green Point Brut - around €24.99. In time for summer parties with a bit of posh . . . I can't wait. Look out for it - easy to spot, because it's sealed, extraordinarily, with a crown cap.
OZ ON OZ
Travellers across the globe have just rated Australia as the destination they would most like to visit next, according to the Lonely Planet "Travellers' Pulse" survey, which records the views of 20,000 respondents in 167 countries. If you agree and, better still, manage to arrange a trip, don't set off without a copy of Oz Clarke's Australian Wine Companion (Websters/TimeWarner Books, £14.99). Oz is pictured here in a still from the book.
Visiting wineries and sampling countless cracking wines is a huge part of the pleasure of an expedition Down Under. From a wine writer who has been a major fan of Australian wines for over two decades, this illustrated paperback should heighten the enjoyment of both activities. It's arranged by region, listing the best producers and most classic wines in brief alongside a more comprehensive survey of all the significant names. Like all of Oz's books, it's written with panache. You might even enjoy it here at home with a glass of Shiraz on the side.