Chasing trends

The generally relaxed rules in Australia have created much success, they have also contributed to problems within the Australian wine industry as producers chase trends in wine relatively quickly. A method called ‘top grafting’ (or field grafting) is widespread as growers are not restricted by what variety they can grow. This process allows growers to graft a new variety to the vine to quickly produce a new variety that is becoming popular. Despite being labour intensive and means the vines require more attention during the first year, it means the producer only loses one harvest. To replace vines would be expensive as it requires removing old vines, fitting new trellising, replacement vines and would be three years without a viable harvest and several years before peak production could once again be reached. This not only tends to ignore the terroir of a region it often leads to a rapid oversupply of the new variety causing prices to crash and producers to look for the next fashionable grape, before the process starts again. This practice doesn’t happen with premium producers who understand their unique climates, soils and vineyards and make wines that express the own GI.