Australia has had comparatively few human casualties from Covid but the financial impact has been immense. The loss of international cellar door trade plus the tariffs imposed by China – as an indirect result of the pandemic – have been keenly felt. Add to this the bushfires and floods and you understand why the Australian Grape and Wine Authority says as many as 30% of the country’s 2,600 wineries could go under. Justin Keay talks to three family-run wine estates to see how they are faring and what they are doing to plan for an uncertain future in the week when Wine Australia launches its new CONNECT digital platform to help bring its producers closer together with wine buyers around the world.

“This growing diversity – regional, stylistic and philosophical – is, of course, why Australian wine today is such a different proposition from a few years ago,” writes Justin Keay.
This is an existential time for the world’s wine industry, with the fall in global trade, the ravages wrought by Covid 19, and the collapse in the on-trade in wealthy nations all having a major impact. Individual countries have had additional crosses to bear: Lebanon’s collapse into economic chaos, with the Lira losing 90% of its value in less than a year, is devastating a heavily import-dependent industry (everything from bottles, corks and labels upwards) whilst South Africa’s off/on alcohol sales and export bans has destroyed producer’s revenue stream there.

But what of Australia, such a long way from the fulcrum of the crises battering the world?

Despite localised lockdowns, the Lucky Country has had a ‘good pandemic’, whilst years of investment in an economy that until last year enjoyed over 20 years of unbroken GDP growth, has generally left its wine industry in buoyant health. Clever producers have consolidated market share at entry level (think Yellowtail and McGuigan) whilst higher-end winemakers have been eschewing oak for fresher and more expressive styles reflecting local conditions and soil. Defining itself by growing regionality and moving away from the French varieties that were once almost ubiquitous here, Australian wine is rightly getting more critical acclaim than ever before.

Yet 2020 was rough. With Australia arguably more impacted by climate change than any other country, producers have had to deal with drought, fire damage and smoke – Wine Australia reckons almost 5% of the national grape crop in 2019-20 was lost this way after the devastating bushfires – and now flood, with Hunter Valley just one of many regions finding itself underwater this month.

And despite the admirable low number of human casualties, Covid 19 has in fact impacted heavily, with restrictions and the absence of tourists hitting cellar door sales hard: last April the Australian Grape and Wine Authority said as many as 30% of the country’s 2600 wineries could go under.

And then there’s the impact of Australia’s grim diplomatic face-off with China, resulting from Canberra’s suggestion there should be a proper international investigation into the origins of the pandemic and its protests at China’s suppression of human rights in Hong Kong and amongst the Uighur Muslims. Beijing’s subsequent tariffs increase the price of a typical Australian bottle in China and Hong Kong by over 200% – potentially devastating given that China was the industry’s biggest export market, accounting for 37% of the total, or $800m. Big names like Penfolds are worst hit but all producers will be struggling to compensate even if they didn’t sell to China, as they fight off increased competition from those who did.

So as 2021 gets underway, what’s the mood? How do producers – particularly the smaller ones – see the future? And do they think international consumer perceptions of Australian wine are changing? I spoke to three premium family-run wineries in three different states to get an idea.

(. . .)

Moss Wood in West Australia’s Margaret River

Almost 3000 kilometres further west, in Margaret River, West Australia, Keith Mugford, owner and winemaker at Moss Wood – the second winery in this region – is also pretty phlegmatic about climate change. A bigger worry has been the potential loss of sales because of the new Chinese tariffs.

“Despite being there since 2006, our sales have only been small, for all sorts of price and strategic reasons. Hong Kong is more frustrating. Our sales there go back to the 1980s. It’s been a good market for us and disappointing the future is now so uncertain,” he says, adding that he will “be happy to pick up the threads” if things improve.

He says the British market has been Moss Wood’s biggest and most reliable since exports started back in 1985.

Keith Mugford
“It seems British consumers enjoy our wines and we always try to be consistent with style and quality. I hope we can continue this and retain as many existing customers as possible but also promote effectively and introduce new customers to our individual vineyard wines,” he says, adding that Moss Wood is moving towards minimal intervention and further reducing environmental impact.

So is Australian wine changing?

Mugford says Moss Wood has never been a “big oak” producer but reckons there have been wider changes, with Chardonnay made in a leaner, finer style, which he reckons consumers appreciate. With reds generally, and Shiraz in particular, he thinks the picture is more nuanced.

“The popularity of ripe Shiraz continues and there are still “big” wines being made. There are, however, an interesting range of wines which display much more restraint and elegance. Given the range of climates in which it’s grown, this is hardly a surprise. The Barossa Valley celebrates its ability to produce generous, fully-ripened wines, expressing the rich end of the Shiraz spectrum, while southern Victoria makes in a more elegant, complex style.”

This growing diversity – regional, stylistic and philosophical – is, of course, why Australian wine today is such a different proposition from a few years ago. An industry once defined by brands and standardisation has become something much more sophisticated, which is why it will ride out its current challenges and continue to evolve.

(. . .)

One of Margaret River’s earliest and most iconic producers, famed for its Cabernet Sauvignon but also great Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Semillon.

“We try to make wine which consistently presents the individual style of our vineyard and, at the same time, captures the essence of each new vintage”. (Keith Mugford)

Moss Wood 2019 Chardonnay

Youthful yes, but this has a wonderful depth of flavour and character I wasn’t expecting. Perfectly balanced, apple, pear and honeysuckle flavours supported by light oak. Destined to mature wonderfully, if you have the patience.

Moss Wood 2019 Amy’s

Baby sister to Moss Wood’s iconic Cabernet, this has been dubbed “Australia’s best value red” and you can taste why immediately: dry, deep dark cassis, great wood integration and long palate persistence make this a steal (. . .).

Moss Wood 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon

Still very young, this is a remarkably layered and complex Cab, with red and dark berry flavours supported by soft oak and warm tannins. Very dark coloured and (. . .) well priced for such sophistication.

Moss Wood 2020 Semillon

The first wine I’ve tasted produced anywhere from that fateful year is actually a real cracker, with a light almost ethereal nose and palate which widens a few hours after opening to reveal green apple, pear and sherbet flavours. Very young obviously but the potential for real development here is considerable.

Moss Wood 2018 Pinot Noir

Light and well balanced, this is a fruit-driven wine with predominantly red fruit and a surprisingly rich middle palate supported by good oak and balanced tannins. Very distinctive Margaret River Pinot.

As we noted in our recent newsletter, we’ve had a very mild season and the 2021 vintage kicked off for Moss Wood on 1st March with the Pinot Noir. Each variety is being picked around 7 to 10 days later than average and the slow ripening has given us a very leisurely time indeed. Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Chardonnay have all strolled through to ripeness and the winery has sped up for one or two days to process whichever was ripe and then stopped while we waited on the next. We’ve even had time to go to the beach on nice days!

Yields have been better than the last several years, with Sauvignon Blanc the best performer at a remarkable 14.2 tonnes/hectare, not bad for unirrigated vines and 40% above average. On the other hand, Semillon and Chardonnay were both less impressive, producing 5.87 t/ha and 3.6 t/ha respectively but at least showing improvement. The first pick of the Cabernet varieties was 6th April and suggest yields will be average, or slightly better, which is also great news.

Of course, with all vintages, it’s quality we worry about most and in 2021 the vines have achieved good flavour ripeness across all varieties. Given the conditions, we’re anticipating wines with vibrant fruit perfumes and they appear to be in the style of 2017 and 2018. If so, we’ll be delighted.

Finally, Mother Nature, as is her way, has decided to throw us one last challenge for the vintage by giving us a significant rain threat in 4 days’ time. All the best laid plans of mice and men have now been thrown out the window and we’re now

picking furiously to finish before this arrives. That’s the end of the beach days for a while.

The Ribbon Vale Project – How Far Have We Come?

It’s almost 20 years to day that we began negotiations with our neighbour, John James, for the purchase of Ribbon Vale.  There was a serendipitous meeting of needs. John, having established the vineyard in 1977, was looking for an exit strategy and we were looking to expand their wine production, through the purchase of a mature, high-quality vineyard.

Ribbon Vale suited the bill perfectly, sharing many key attributes with Moss Wood – similar Wilyabrup soils, cane pruning and of course, it was and remains unirrigated.  The purchase was settled on 1st March, 2000 and we set about putting our own stamp on the property.  What followed has been a fascinating adventure in grapegrowing and winemaking.  We had to update the trellising to the new (at the time) Henry system.  More challengingly, we had to learn how to make wine styles we hadn’t attempted before – Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.  The latter has required us to play the long game.

Merlot has been a challenge but one we have enjoyed far more than initially expected.  This variety is the most widely planted in Bordeaux and very highly regarded there.  Anyone lucky enough to taste Chateau Petrus or Chateau Cheval Blanc would surely understand why.  Australian Merlot, with very few exceptions, is typically of only moderate quality and usually dismissed as soft, generic dry red.  We admit to making that very criticism ourselves but once we were exposed to high-quality Merlot and how it is made, a whole new world has opened up.  We have had to focus on the wines of Pomerol and St Emilion, looking in depth at their production techniques as well as the demanding task of tasting as many as we can.  Very demanding indeed!

Another twist in the tale is, for Moss Wood we felt and still feel, the Cabernet Sauvignon style from that vineyard isn’t enhanced by the characteristics which Merlot would bring to the blend.  So, with little or no experience we embarked on a very steep learning curve.

Amusingly, once we got to know Merlot, we discovered it shared several traits with Pinot Noir.  Just like its Burgundian cousin, Merlot demands special attention in the vineyard and will only ripen well if the shoots are properly positioned, the canopy is allowing good sunlight penetration and the yield is moderate.  This last point is crucial because Merlot will grow a monumental crop if allowed.  The record under our ownership is 14.6 tonnes/hectare for the 2000 vintage – not bad for an unirrigated vineyard!  Conditions in that year were exceptional and all varieties blitzed their average but we have trimmed it back since.  The long-term yield stands at a still very respectable 7.87 t/ha.  The quality risk is evident when we note that in the relatively warm year of 2000, the vines needed an extra 2 weeks to get all that fruit ripe and even then, sugar levels were only just where we wanted them and likewise colour depth.  Many bad things can happen in 2 weeks, like rain damage and bird attack to name just two and hence the need for careful management.

By the year 2000 we had a long track record of making Cabernet Sauvignon at Moss Wood and this gave us some useful insights into how we might manage this variety at Ribbon Vale.  However, every vineyard is different and we had to come to terms with what the new location required.  For example, the clone planted at Ribbon Vale is SA126, which performs differently to the Houghton selection at Moss Wood.  Even with improved trellising, we still spent several seasons understanding the flavour profile in the grapes and working out what levels of ripeness we should aim for.  Exactly the same is true for Cabernet Franc.

Looking back over this period then, it could be summarised in the following way.  We spent the first decade improving and analysing how the vineyard performed.  As a result, we have spent the second decade seeing a gradual improvement in the quality of the wine style but the job is not yet finished.  We have recently added Petit Verdot and Malbec to the Ribbon Vale vineyard and over the next few years we’ll be able to assess what role they may play in enhancing the Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular.

No doubt customers will have their own views on how the project has gone so far.  For us, we are most proud of the quality of the Merlot.  It’s not so much that we think it’s a better wine than the Cabernet Sauvignon but we are delighted with the overall improvement and are comfortable it is a serious wine, capable of bearing comparison with wines of this style from anywhere in the world.

The Ribbon Vale Cabernet Sauvignon has always been at a higher quality level but we are keen to see it recognised as one of the finest wines in this style from Margaret River.  We have evolved it to the point where its primary fruit characters make it almost the complete wine.  It has gone from requiring a significant blending component of Merlot, typically at least 20%, plus, of course, around 5-10% Cabernet Franc, to now just 1-2% each of these.  If it’s OK with everyone else, we’ll give ourselves a pass mark so far.

Purchase Moss Wood Ribbon Vale wines

Source: www.le-sommelier.com/en/a/10595/moss-wood

Moss Wood wines will feature at a dinner next week at Frenchies Wine Bar, Singapore.

MOSS WOOD WINE DINNER MENU

Canapé
Duck Rillettes, Cold Cuts, Crunchy Madagascar Blue Prawn

 Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

Slow Roasted Hokkaido Scallop
Crustacean Bisque

Moss Wood 2017 Chardonnay 

Traditional Beef Parmentier

Moss Wood 2015 Pinot Noir

Australian Wagyu Ribeye
Celeriac Puree, Green Peas, Black Tuille 

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

Selection French Farm Cheese

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon

Clare and Keith will be hosting a dinner in London at the Jugged Hare on Wednesday 14th November, 2018.

MOSS WOOD WINE DINNER MENU

Reception – 7pm

 2015 Moss Wood Semillon

Tasting & Dinner – 7:30pm
Starter 

Beetroot cured trout, dill, horseradish, caper berries

2016 Moss Wood Chardonnay

2007 Moss Wood Chardonnay

Main

Roast lamb loin, shin croquette, crushed parsnips, mint jus

2016 Moss Wood Pinot Noir

2001 Moss Wood Pinot Noir

2015 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon

2013 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert

Artisan cheese board, fruit chutney, biscuits

1999 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon

1996 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon