There is no denying the consumer thirst for alternative varieties. I observe it daily at Wine House Melbourne. The curious drinker wants a new experience as well as pleasure. However, this yearning has yet to fully infuse in the premium wine market’s high end, to whom an independent retailer like Wine House primarily caters. My […]
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RSS feed for this sectionIt’s Been One Hell of a Ride
by Jane Faulkner, AAVWS Chief of Judges 2012 – 2018 Assyrtiko. Nero d’Avola. Pavana. Savagnin under flor and subsequently, true albarino. Picpoul. Mencia. Extended skin-contact whites plus many more styles and varieties besides. If someone had told me in 2005 all those would one day feature at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, I might […]
Fortifieds – The Original Australian Alternative Variety Champions
by Simon Killeen of Simao and Co., AAVWS Committee Member When I was about five, I vividly remember driving in the vineyards with my dad, proudly announcing my understanding of the varieties we had planted. I explained to him the wines they made. “Shiraz makes Shiraz, Muscat makes Muscat, Port makes… Where’s our Port planted?” “There’s […]
Warren Buffett and Alternative Grape Varieties
A guest blog by AAVWS Committee Chair Ashley Ratcliff The American billionaire, Warren Buffett, once quoted ‘when everyone is brave be scared, and when everyone is scared be brave’. My take on this quote is, do the opposite of what everyone else does! During the 1990’s almost the entire Australian wine industry was brave… super […]
Meet the 2017 Fellow: Katie Spain
Wow. The Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show fellowship. What a great opportunity for a wine-obsessed storyteller. I am chuffed to jump aboard this juicy, alternative variety dreamboat. Ironically, I grew up surrounded by milk, not wine. I’ve pulled more udders than I’ve poured wine but a childhood spent on a dairy farm gave me an […]
Cool Climate Vignerons – Aosta Calling!
Guest Blog by AAVWS Committee Member Mark Walpole So, what does a warming climate and the GFC have in common? Both have impacted the inland wine regions significantly over the past decade. Hotter and drier growing seasons; and a reduced demand for many of the traditional varieties planted during the wine boom of the 1990’s […]
Pinot Blanc: A Perspective from the Yarra Valley
Guest Blog by AAVWS Committee member Franco D’Anna Pinot Blanc as it’s known in France or Pinot Bianco in Italy is a white grape planted in regions like Alsace, Alto Adige and parts of Friuli. Quite recently, it has been planted to success in different regions in Australia. Pinot Blanc is now planted in Tasmania, […]
More Than Just a Talk Fest
We love to bandy about the claim that the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show is ‘More than just a wine show’ but what does that really mean? Well, of course we are in the (not-for-profit) business of critical assessment of wines against their peers in an unbiased environment. This is undertaken each year by a […]
Meet our ‘Access All Areas’ Media VIP
My name is Nathan Gogoll, I’m a journalist and I know there’s no better opportunity to uncover great story ideas than to be immersed, behind the scenes, at events where the industry gets together. Could there be a better opportunity for the new editor of the Australia & New Zealand Grapegropwer & Winemaker than a […]
Meet the inaugural AAVWS Fellow
My name is Sarah Limacher, I have the pleasure of being Group Sommelier for The Keystone Group, which based in Sydney operates 26 venues across Australia, our portfolio includes our 3 iconic wine bars The Winery Surry Hills, Gazebo and Manly Wine, restaurants such as Rushcutters, The Chophouse, Jamie’s Italian and Kingsleys, our members club […]