WHEN it comes to wine, the alternative is well on its way to becoming mainstream.
If you don’t really believe that, then think about this – how popular was prosecco 20 or so years ago?
Exactly.
Let alone nebbiolo, vermentino, nero d’avola, tempranillo, and so on.
So many, that November’s Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, in Mildura, is expecting 150 to 200 winemakers to submit about 800 wines made from more than 100 grape varieties (and absolutely no shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot et al) for the 17 judges from across Australia and the world to spend three days sipping and spitting before settling on the success stories for 2023.
The show’s story begins circa 2001 with Stefano de Pieri, Bruce Chalmers and the late Dr Rod Bonfiglioli spearheading a brave new world for varieties which have always been out there, just not very “in” here with the “in” wine crowd.
But according to Chalmers Wines’ Kim Chalmers, the alternative movement goes way beyond what’s in the bottle.
It is, she explains, a movement also committed to realising the full potential of Australia’s 62 official wine regions (aka geographic indicators) and the grapes which are, which shouldn’t be, which could or should be and which will be, grown.
“The alternative movement is all about drilling down deeper in those regions to see what we can really do, what works best – and where,” Kim says.
“Those 62 wine regions are alpine, inland, coastal, hot, cold, wet, dry, on plains and hills – and I reckon they would all grow, for example, shiraz.
“Doesn’t really add up – in the past 20 years, the industry has been through the millennium drought, is coming to terms with climate change and that change is going to be a constant for us all.
“Which is fundamental in the appeal of alternative varieties – you can find plenty which use less water, have more acidity, requiring fewer additives in the fermentation process and grow with a thicker skin, all which help make them much, much more sustainable.
“Which is why this year’s awards will also have an even greater focus on sustainability.”
Kim says in 1999, Stefano, Bruce and Rod initiated the Sangiovese Awards, which morphed the next year into the Australian Italian Wine Show.
Both proved a success and she says that progress led to the first Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, in Mildura in November 2001.
Today it is acknowledged as one of the most dynamic wine shows in the country, embracing the many wines which fall outside the mainstream.
“It has continued to encourage cutting-edge judging procedures and providing a host of social and educational events that promote knowledge-sharing and the ferment of ideas,” Kim explains.
“The show and its committees have been innovative and adventurous and over time, have introduced the custom-built show software system, WineShowPro.
“As well as looking into sponsoring new varieties, developing an international judge program, including tours of Victorian wineries, and instigated a fellowship for passionate candidates to visit Mildura to experience the show and become new alternative variety ambassadors.”
Another step forward was the 2019 introduction of directly acknowledging viticulturists who are doing great work in the field of alternative varieties.
Any single vineyard wine entered in the AAVWS can be attributed to a specific viticulturist.
Kim says once the results of the tastings are in, the list of viticulturists for all high-scoring single vineyard wines is reviewed for a shortlist.
And the award recipient is not select-
ed purely based on scores or medals.
“Instead, it is decided in consideration of the performance of attributable wines in the current year’s show in association with extended discussion about wider contribution to alternative variety viticulture in Australia,” Kim said.
“It has an independent selection panel and gives the AAVWS an opportunity to highlight the critical work going on in the vineyard, not only in terms of cultural practices but also in learning to wrangle a new variety.
“There is so much to discover when working with new grape varieties, starting with deciding what to grow in your patch of dirt. Then there is the process of studying the habits of a new variety, it’s pros and cons, how it responds to soil types, weather and nutrition.”
When is the right time to harvest?
What is the best pruning method?
So much work to be done, even before the first wine is made.
“Every season brings new challenges and with tackling them, also comes new knowledge,” Kim says.
“The AAVWS viticulturist award focuses on this dedication in the vineyard, rewarding the process, not just the product.”
Local fertiliser business Morellofert jumped on the concept as major sponsor in 2019 and has been there ever since.
Owner David Morello says: “This is a great award and it couldn’t be a better fit for Morellofert. The whole focus of our business is innovative and sustainable viticulture, so it’s an honour to have an association with the best practitioners in Australia.”
The first four winners of the viticulture crown were Sam Costanzo, Golden Grove Estate (2022), Don Oliver, Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards (2021), Mark Walpole, Fighting Gully Road (2020) and Richard Leask, Hither & Yon (2019).
One of the 2023 highlights has been the partnership with noted wine writer Max Allen for the publication of Alternative Reality, a record of the alternative wine journey to help celebrate the show’s 21st birthday.
Allen says Australian wine has been through a revolution during the past two decades.
He says new grape varieties, new wine styles, new winemaking personalities and cultures have emerged, dramatically changing how this country thinks about and enjoys wine.
“And much of this change can be traced to a wine competition in Mildura, in the remote northwest of Victoria,” Allen says.
“Since 2001, the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show has examined and championed exciting new non-mainstream grapes, with a rollcall of leading winemakers, sommeliers, writers and viticulturists travelling from all over the country each November to talk and taste, to swap ideas, to imagine a different wine landscape,” he says.
“This book tells the story of those decades, not just of the show, but also of the wider world of Australian wine, told through interviews with the key people who made it happen.
“It also includes comprehensive information about the 150 different grape varieties currently grown in Australia: what the wines made from these grapes taste like, and who the best producers are.”
Kim says with storage tanks in wineries around the country overflowing with reds they cannot sell for the right price, things need a re-think.
“The appearance of alternative varieties on-premise is now huge – and not just in specialist wine stores; you see these varieties in the major retail chains, some of which have already invested in their own ‘house labels’ using alternative varieties, such as key industry players including the Pinnacle Drinks group.
“This is why the reports of the annual crush ‘are a little skewed’ in that they represent wines being made, many sold overseas, true – but when you look at published wine reviews, restaurant wine lists and bottle shops in Australia, the diversity is absolutely there. Much more than the crush numbers suggest,” she added.
“You might not see the market maturity of the traditional classics, but we think what modern consumers ultimately want is to see something original, unique, distinct and sustainable – something with a story, with genuine provenance.”
The Chalmers family has its “100 per cent alternative forever” vineyards in Merbein, home of the nursery Mother Blocks and wine range bearing the same name, as well as a second vineyard in the wine-rich Heathcote area which, Kim admits in softer tones, includes 3ha of shiraz (“which is a pretty hard sell right now”).
The family has been making wine from Italian grape varieties since 2003 under the Chalmers label, in many cases pioneering varieties new to Australia, imported and distributed by the family through its significant nursery, supplying vines to growers around the country, further spreading the alternative message.
“The AAVWS is bigger than a regional event, it’s a truly national show with fantastic attendance by growers and makers from right across Australia,” Kim says.
“The show and its events are a highlight of the year for our region, at what is both a challenging and exciting time for an industry redefining its future.”
