Wines

Grape Expectations by Max Crus

Can’t hold a hose, or a nail-gun, or a...

Much has been made of our Prime Minister’s comment “I don’t hold a hose”.

But it’s not fair.

Morrison can’t hold a hose, as we know, and are reminded ad infinitum, but he also can’t pull a beer, drive a nail, bake a pie, dig coal, or fly a plane - thank goodness the RAAF didn’t let him try. Phew!

He also can’t hold a welding rod, cut hair, drive a forklift, pack boxes for Amazon, herd stock, nor butcher them afterwards, again thank goodness. He can’t drive a bus, plough a field, lay a brick, sew a fine seam…hang on, that’s a maybe… he can’t hold an ICAC, but that doesn’t mean he’s a “buffoon” (what would an eminent jurist know?).

However none of this matters. What he can do is hi-viz, hard hat, steel-caps, goggles and gloves, and strategically roll up his sleeves and get…before the cameras.

“Roll the sleeves down please Prime Minister, that’s not proper use of PPE”.

It is unclear what happens to all those things he’s stuffed up, you certainly wouldn’t want the car he welded, or the cake he iced, or the haircut but at least he gets out there and does, well, nothing. But having a go is what it’s all about and our PM has spent more time doing nothing than he has in Parliament.

The PM donned the hi-viz 287 times* in the last year but was in parliament only 67 times.

He spent more time in PPE in front of cameras (and not even counting time in front of his personal photographer) than he spent at home. Hey, PM, did you ask Jenny about this?

But wait readers. Before you dismiss this as one-sided, let’s reflect that this weekend, our choice is between a bloke who can’t do anything (reinforced by not actually having done anything), and a bloke who can’t remember anything.

Struth, maybe it’s time we refurbished the house of reps in teal?

Serendipitously, the only place the PM hasn’t donned hi-viz this year is a winery. Possibly something to do with him stuffing up when he tried his hand at trade relations?

Max Crus is a Clarence Valleybased wine writer and Grape Expectations is now in its 26th year of publication. Find out more about Max or sign up for his weekly reviews and musings by visiting maxcrus.com.au Kirrihill Clare Valley Partners Series (Rob Stanway) Riesling 2020, $30.

I may never refrigerate riesling again, this was so delicious at room temperature (22 degrees-ish). You could taste every aspect and character of the wine and they were all good, even though I can’t stand that expression. 9.6/10.

Kirrihill Clare Valley Partners Series (Matt Lawson) Shiraz 2020, $30.

How can you fail to be impressed by a wine that won the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge, and only costs 30 bucks? Well, you could but you’d be wrong. Anyway that was the 2019. Nevertheless this latest vintage was just hitting it’s delightful Clare Valley straps by the time the bottle was finished. 9.4/10.

Gaffy and Neal Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2021, $45 (Available through Principia Wines).

The first chapter in the tale of two chardonnays from Mornington is serious and sharp and leaves you eager to read more. Which we did the next day with even more satisfaction, although tellingly, there was more of this than its sister remaining in the end. 9.5/10.

Gaffy and Neal Mornington Peninsula Merricks North Chardonnay 2021, $65.

The second chapter in that tale and I had a Dickens of a time telling them apart at first. Every time I tasted a difference, I went back to the other and discovered the same character. A dizzying exercise and mercifully, differences emerged the next night. More elegance and eloquence from the book of chardonnay. 9.6/10.

Baddaginnie Run Strathbogie Ranges Wild Ferment Shiraz 2019, $30.

The problem with this wine is it takes two to three goes to get it right and it’s difficult to spell. But you’ll get it right by the end of the bottle. 9.3/10.

Baddaginnie Run Strathbogie Ranges Shiraz 2019, $25.

Deceptively light of nose and alluringly fragrant as cooler climate reds can be, this is nevertheless a knockout. 15 per cent, packs a punch and hots up at the end of the glass. 9.4/10.

*Figures may be larger than they appear in the mirror.

continue to impact Australian wine exports

to mainland China, the continuing impact of the global freight crisis, and a counter-swing in some markets after COVID-19 related stockpiling in 2020.

“What the latest Export Report shows is that efforts to diversify and intensify markets is slowly reaping rewards for Australian wine exporters. With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, we’re seeing the on-premise trade open up in established markets and that has had an impact as demand stabilises,” Ms Triggs said.

The decline in total wine export volume, excluding mainland China, was most two biggest markets of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (US). Exports to these markets surged during 2020 due to COVID-19 stockpiling for the off-premise trade, but demand has since eased as pandemic restrictions relaxed.

“Low inventory after three small consecutive vintages and delays in getting the record 2021 vintage onto ships from the ongoing global freight crisis also contributed to the decline in volume of wine exports. Shipping industry experts to do not expect these issues to resolve until the second half of 2022 at the earliest,” Ms Triggs said.

Australian wine exports declined in all price segments in the year ended March 2022, driven largely by the decline to mainland China and exports valued under $10 FOB per litre to the US and UK.

“However, when excluding mainland China, exports within the premium segment above $10 FOB per litre grew by 47 per cent, with 58 out of 89 destinations receiving exports in this price segment reporting growth during the year. These destinations included Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, the US, the UK, South Korea and Taiwan,” Ms Triggs said.

In the 12 months to the end of March 2022, the were: • UK, down 2 per cent to $449 million, • US, down 4 per cent to $416 million, • Hong Kong, up 24 per cent to $184 million, • Canada, down 13 per cent to $171 million, and • Singapore, up 96 per cent to $168 million. volume are: • UK, down 6 per cent to 246 million litres,