Down-Under Vintages Cutting Into U. S. Market

Wine industry analysts say prices for California wine may be getting a bit high for the consumer and that adjustments may soon have to be made.

One reason is strong overseas competition, such as the wines now coming into the United States from Chile, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.

Australian wines in particular represent good value, in part because of a weak Australian dollar (which is valued at about 20% less than the U.S. dollar). And unlike a decade ago, the Aussies are now making their wines much like California wine, a style the American public likes.

About 600,000 cases of Australian wines were sold in the United States last year, much of it priced between $5 and $10 a bottle. Lindemans (one of Australia’s largest wineries, recently acquired by Penfolds) leads the market with about 90,000 cases sold here, including an excellent line of premium wines priced in the $8 to $10 range.

One Australian wine I find to be excellent value is the 1986 Roo’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale ($9), a big, rich, chocolatey wine with superb herbal notes and a grand finish.

Another lovely wine for the price is 1989 Rosemount Chardonnay ($9), with attractive floral, tropical fruit character.

Australia is even competing in sparkling wine. The nonvintage Lassiter Brut, which sells for $10, and the 1985 Lassiter Brut ($16) are excellent wines and good values.

Other good value wines include those from Mark Swann, Koala Ridge, Roo’s Leap, Rosemount, Hardy’s, Seppelt, Brown Brothers and Jacob’s Creek.

More expensive wines from Down Under are also entering the U.S. market. The following wines are priced at about $19 a bottle (unless otherwise noted). The 1986 Lindemans Limestone Ridge, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz blend with a rich, spicy, roasted tone and a powerful mid-palate, is one of the best wines I have tasted from Australia. The wine is soft enough to enjoy now, but should age superbly.

One of the best new wines from New Zealand is from Morton Estate, the 1989 Hawkes Bay Chardonnay “Winemaker’s Selection,” (about $25). The wine has intense peach and citrus notes to go with a complex aroma that has plenty of oak and superb acidity matched to a long fruity finish.

A single-vineyard 1987 Cabernet from Rosemount, designated Kirri Billi, is round and rich and shows aging potential.

And just to make the point that Australia is growing excellent Pinot Noir . . . there is the 1988 Tarrawarra Pinot Noir ($26). It is a stunning example of elegant floral, cinnamony fruit with rich, rewarding flavors in a tightly knit package. The wine will age beautifully.

Others of interest, both about $19, are 1987 Pinot Noirs from Rosemount (designated Giant’s Creek) and from Coldstream Hills. The former has more fruit, the latter more earthy components, but both strike me as slightly more earthy and Burgundian in tone than the Tarrawarra.

The latest wave of wines from the Southern Hemisphere, though not inexpensive, are added competition for the wine lover’s dollar.