politicalowl

Grange. Australia's most famous wine. The red that put our country on the world's quality wine map. Yet most years Penfolds has to break the law to tell people what's in it. If you think that sounds like madness, well, yes, it is. Yet Wine Australia, the federal government body that controls how wine is labelled and promoted does, outlaw telling the truth about Grange and many other wines blended from different regions. This is the idiotic bureaucratic regulation that defines the offence: (Click to enlarge) And the section of the Australian Grape and Wine Authority Act 2013 that the regulation refers to: The problem arises because the grapes that end up in Grange regularly come from more than three regions as the company website explains. So Penfolds is in breach of the law with this reference in its tasting note for the 2010 Grange: VINEYARD REGION Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Magill Estate Oh no! Five GIs mentio...

By David Farmer I returned to Tasmania in 1970 after 5 years overseas and was by then very interested in wine. Enough to find out what was happening in Tasmania, so father, who knew everyone set up a meeting with the Department of Agriculture in Launceston. I was told viticulture had no future as it was far too cold but a 'crack-pot' was planting a vineyard at Pipers Brook and the location was worth going to see. I did not meet the 'crack-pot' Andrew Pirie but I did meet his brother David who was propagating vine cuttings. I also went to the La Provence vineyard. So naturally I have followed with great interest the growth of the Tasmanian wine industry. The early to late 1980s were ........... years and over a six year period I led the pack that producers two award winners of the professional class of the Australian Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de ........... (C.I.V.C.), Chris Shanahan (1983) and Adrian Marsden Smedley (1986). Thus I know a lot abo...

The repressive attack on freedom of speech by Wine Australia has not yet reached the level of stopping wine journalists giving sensible information to consumers. But should a wine maker or retailer dare to quote the words of James Halliday, the country's most famous wine writer, they would face two years in jail. To give you an idea of just how ridiculously draconian Wine Australia's censorship powers are, we reproduce below h ow a recent Halliday column would need to be censored to conform with Wine Australia's law. And if you think you know what the blacked out words are, enter Censored by Wine Australia's competition by sending your guess at what the illegal words are to: richard@politicalowl.com.  There are $50 wine voucher that can be redeemed at glug.com.au for correct and/or witty entries. Click on the column to enlarge it.

They might proudly call it Méthode Tasmanoise but the Hill-Smith family, who purchased Jansz in 1997, seem quite keen to stress a French connection. You will notice, for one thing, that their sparkling is made by the Méthode Tasmanoise rather than the Tasmanian method. But that's a minor dipping of the lid to proper champagne compared with other French references on the Jansz website .  References like this: In 1986, esteemed Champagne house - Louis Roederer partnered with the owners of Heemskerk Wines to produce Tasmania’s first premium vintage sparkling wine. They saw the similarities between the climate here and the famous wine region of their homeland. And this: It could be argued we’re completely mad growing grapes in the wild and unforgivingly cold Tasmanian environment. But there’s méthode to our madness. The climatic conditions of the Jansz vineyard rival the famed French wine region of Champagne. In fact, it was originally with French contribution that Jansz ...

The federal government body Wine Australia has decreed that the glug.com.au website cannot use certain words when trying to give consumers an honest opinion of a wine's merit. Thus thick black lines have started appearing on the small Barossa winery's tasting descriptions. Harem 'Fatima' Barossa Grenache Mataro 2012 Ben got a lot of pleasure from taking the initial building blocks and assembling them on the tasting bench to make the final 'Fatima' blend. The 'Layla' style of Grenache appeals to me and I am thrilled with the result, whereas the 'Fatima' is a deep rich,                                style which will last. Trennert McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz 2013 Grenache no doubt dates back to the 1830s and was much liked in the days of making fortified wines as it gives heavy crops with high sugar. Smart wine makers have b...

Wine Australia is threatening to have a South Australian winemaker/retailer sent to jail for two years if he continues to use words like these on his website: 'This Tasmanian sparkling wine represents far better value than most champagnes.' The offending word is champagne even though it is not mentioned on the label. The wine bureaucrats argue that the very mention of the word on a website or in a printed description of a wine is illegal under legislation to ratify an agreement between Australia and the European Union. By David Farmer All wineries keep records which allows a check that wineries are doing the right thing and one role of Wine Australia is be the inspector or auditor. It is unexpected that they also have another role which is to control the use of particular terms and phrases which are grouped under a banner called  geographical indicators  often shortened to GIs. The Wine Australia email specifically mentions;  Rioja, Champagne, Cote du Rho...

Wine Australia is a federal government body supposedly under the control of the Minister for Agriculture and his Assistant Minister.  It is charged with regulating and promoting the local wine industry. The current aims of Wine Australia seem to be kowtowing to the French and supporting local producers who claim to be the fine wine people. The result of both aims is to prevent consumers being given an accurate assessment of the real merits of both imported and local wines. Wine Australia is trying to prevent anyone who sells wine from giving advice about wines from one region compared with wines from another. It is currently threatening my brother David Farmer, who runs a small winery in the Barossa, with a two year jail term because he dared to suggest, for example, that a Wrattonbury cabernet might be as good as one from Coonawrra. You will find the details on David's website HERE . Meanwhile, a member of the Wine Australia board, is committing exactly the same so-called offen...