Indian producers
and importers can get vicarious pleasure in knowing
that their Australian counterparts also suffer the
inspector raj. Several cases of shipments being rejected
by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation's (AWBC)
wine inspectors, are coming to limelight because of
their not meeting the standards though the interesting
styles are to the specification of buyers.
Before wine is exported from Australia
it has to go through laboratory analyses, ensuring
it meets stringent standards set by the country it's
being exported to, and a taste evaluation conducted
by a team of AWBC inspectors, according to the news
report in Wine Business International.
As Australia evolves its winemaking,
more new, 'funky' styles are being produced and accepted
by consumers and overseas buyers. However, some are
not being passed for export on their first submission
to the AWBC tasting panel and have to be re entered
for evaluation, although they are within the technical
specifications. Some make it through the second time;
others (like the Lethbridge Ménage Que Syrah
2006) are rejected a second time despite having a
large order from the UK.
Buyer for Berkmann Wine Cellars,
Alex Hunt said 'I was keen to find some new, exciting,
hand-crafted wines that really expressed their terroir
to the full. Lethbridge's passion for this kind of
approach is palpable, and it comes through in the
wines, which manage to be elegant and complex without
falling into the trap of being faux-European.'
Lethbridge paid A $1300 to have his
wine submitted to a Review Panel comprising five technical
experts, none of whom were involved in either previous
evaluation; this time it was passed as fit for export.
Full report: www.wine-business-international.com
|
