Clare Valley Riesling? Certtainly, sir. Cost you an extra 20%....
Or perhaps one from Watervale? Much better buying. Surcharge is only 10% there. But if you're really looking for value, how about this Individual Vineyard wine? No surcharge at al....
Now before you dismiss the idea out of hand, remember you're already paying for the amount of alcohol in the bottle, and that individual vineyard wine's going to be sitting around the upper echelon when it comes to the price point involved.
Under this regime, as stated, my Tahbilk cleanskin would go from $5 to $7.50. A Kiwi cleanskin that now sets you back $7 would then be a tad under $10.
That South East Australian Cab Merlot you're partial to would move from $7 to a tad over $9, same price you'd pay for a Sav Blanc labelled Marlborough rather than New Zealand.
While I wouldn't be thrilled about my $15 Clare Riesling going up to $18, some of the pain would be lessened as I realised that the extra slug on that wine from Watervale's only going to set me back another $2 and that simply wonderful Individual Vineyard wine ain't going up at all....
Well, I guess we can all dream.
Seriously, though, if you look at these things from a wine industry perspective, you draw one set of conclusions. Look at it as a drinker, and you've got a whole different kettle of fish.
Much of the current over-supply is the result of the massive investment in vineyards through the Managed Investment Schemes that were promoted before the GFC as more or less the greatest thing since sliced bread. Changes in the tax system will also, hopefully, make vineyards a less attractive proposition for people looking at a tax advantage rather than a commercial investment.
Going back to points (a) and (b) above, you've got some interesting options when it comes to water policy. If governments are serious about reducing or buying back water allocations in the Murray-Darling system, inevitably, some vineyards are going to have to go, but it would need to be done as an across the board rather than an industry-specific thing.
Fat chance of that, of course.
For a start, in the current political environment you're not going to get anything through the Senate without concessions being made in negotiations with the Greens and the independents, so don't be holding your breath.
No, the more I look at it, nothing's going to change too much before the next election and what happens after that is anybody's guess...
Max Allen had a go at some of the same issues in The Weekend Australian Magazine on 20 March 2010, a fair while after I’d composed the draft of this article but before I’d convinced myself it was ready to slot into place on these pages.
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