Jingoistic? Well, yeah, if I have to be!
There were a couple of factors that switched me away from Well they would say that, wouldn't they? status with regard to criticism of McLaren Vale winemaker Stephen Pannell's website, allforonewine.com.au.
The website urges Australian drinkers to pledge to drink only Australian wines from Jan 1st, 2011 until Australia Day, January 26th, and has been described as protectionist and jingoistic by, among others, New Zealand producers concerned about maintaining their grip on their share of their largest export market.
Well, they would say that, wouldn't they? You can read the brief article from Decanter.com here.
The first thing that prompted my response was the 200 European Wines for $50 and under booklet accompanying the latest issue of Gourmet Traveller Wine. Now, there's not much chance I'll be trying anything that's recommended in there, but it was a timely reminder that there's a rather large world of wine out there, with plenty of interesting things you can try.
The second was an article under the headline We're getting slaughtered out there in today's Australian that gave me a fair bit to think about as I set off on the morning walk.
Now, I'm the first to admit that a glance at the Pannell website was all I needed before I started adding my details to the list. A glance at those who had already signed up, including winemakers Vanya Cullen, Jeffrey Grosset and wine writer Max Allen was enough. I try to support these people by buying their wines, so I'll support them by jumping on board here.
Now, you could point out that I already drink nothing but Australian wine, so what's the difference? That's a fair enough point, and it was the question of why we drink what we drink that formed the basis for the morning musings along the beaten track around downtown Bowen.
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