A new book explores the efforts to diversify the range of grape varieties in Australian wine.
By Sarah Ahmed
Sarah Ahmed critiques Alternative Reality: How Australian Wine Changed Course by Max Allen and The Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show.
The striking yellow ochre and terracotta cover of Alternative Reality: How Australian Wine Changed Course suggests the arid landscapes of Australia and the difficulties these conditions create for viticulturists, especially in the inland areas, despite being bisected by the Murray, Australia’s longest river.
Amid concerns about climate change, progressive viticulturists are exploring a variety of “alternative” grape types, suited to changing climates and regional conditions, despite these variants currently being far less prevalent in a landscape where the top ten grape types constitute 87% of vineyard plantings. This topic forms the crux of a book that may seem unconventional both in subject and authorship. It credits wine journalist Max Allen and the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show (AAVWS), which started in 2001 by the River Murray in Mildura to endorse these lesser-known grapes. Titled Alternative Reality, the book illustrates how the AAVWS is influencing both the future direction of Australian viticulture and its broader wine culture.
Allowing an insider such as Allen, a past AAVWS Chief of Judges, along with the organization itself to tell this story could risk it being overly self-praising. While occasionally indulgent, the publication successfully captures the essence and ambition of this pioneering wine show, which avidly seeks to reshape the industry. Allen, acclaimed for his ethical stance and deep understanding of Australian viticulture’s challenges, doesn’t shy away from addressing the prevalent reliance on a limited selection of grape varieties.
Featuring narratives about founding members and key contributors of the AAVWS through the years, Alternative Reality: How Australian Wine Changed Course amplifies the grassroots dissatisfaction fueling this viticultural defiance. It includes anecdotes like Steve Pannell’s backlash in 2015 for criticizing the industry’s fixation on traditional French grapes grown in unsuitable locales. The book also highlights Sue Bell’s reflections on the 2009 global financial crisis and its impact on the Australian wine market’s structure and export strategy.
A feeling of missed chances permeates the narrative of the book. Indeed, James Busby, often referred to as the “Father of Australian Wine,” brought a plethora of Mediterranean grape cuttings from his journeys in France and Spain in 1832; and in a published work in 1867 entitled Wine-Growing in Australia, Dr AC Kelly stated, “in the vast variety of soil and climate found in Australia, it seems probable that every variety grown in Europe could find a suitable place.” However, in spite of its erratic cycles and Francophile tendencies, its role as “John Bull’s [the UK’s] vineyard” and the efforts to win over China have not particularly helped the Australian wine industry’s financial and ecological durability. (According to Pia Piggott, author of the Rabobank’s “Swimming in Wine” Wine Quarterly Q3 2023 report, Australia is currently accumulating 875 Olympic-sized swimming pools of unsold wine.)
How did we get here? The first part of the discussion tracks the development of Australian grape cultivation, from the initial trial-and-error methods to the confident, if conservative, varietal planting that fueled a huge boom in exports throughout the 1980s and ’90s. It concludes with an overview of the origin of the AAVWS, which started in Mildura in 1999 with the “Long Italian Lunch,” an event attended by over 100 participants and pioneers. As described by Allen, this event served as both a display and symposium concerning Italian grape varieties, coordinated by Stefano de Pieri (a famous Australian-Italian chef who argued that Australia’s premier French grapes were “constraining culinary innovation… impeding the development of lighter, more inventive cuisines”), Bruce and Jenni Chalmers (nursery proprietors), and Dr Rod Bonfiglioli (a British vine scientist), driven by the idea of climate appropriateness.
The author clearly indicates the Chalmers’ interest in the venture. Having recently established a partnership with an Italian vine nursery, the Italian Long Lunch (featuring Italian wines) provided a platform to investigate how the varieties they intended to import might influence the future of Australia’s viticulture. Renamed the Australian Italian Wine Show in 2000 and later as the AAVWS in 2001, the entries rapidly expanded to include Iberian, Georgian, Greek, Turkish, and Cretan varieties, as well as some lesser-known French grapes like Picpoul. Subsequent sections, two to five, follow the evolution and growing influence of the event, whose proactive approach of “build it and they will come” has significantly impacted varietal and stylistic shifts within the industry. By the time I evaluated the 2016 AAVWS (with Prosecco entering mainstream two years later), the event was showcasing 102 varieties, prominently featuring lighter reds, skin-contact whites, and flor-influenced varietals, showing how alternative varieties have become catalysts for new wine styles. Moreover, the AAVWS’s “Talk & Taste” public panel talks and tastings have emerged as key components of the show’s educational culture, enhancing the recognition of Australia’s evolving alternative varietal and style framework.
In the “Afterword” to Alternative Reality: How Australian Wine Changed Course, Allen acknowledges, “[T]he truth is there is still much to be done.” Alternative varieties represent less than 4% of Australia’s vine area, up from just 1.8% in 2007, he notes. Although the transformation of the Australian wine sector is gradual, the profile of the Beverage Director at Trader House (owner of some of Melbourne’s most popular bars) offers a glimpse of optimism. For the current and fourth female Chief of Judges, Leanne Altmann, “If you are searching for the trajectory of Australian wine, where norms are being challenged, head to Mildura—this is where you’ll find those innovative wines.” Enthusiasts eager to foresee the trends will find the glossary’s “Alternative A-Z” varietal profiles and top-performing wine lists extremely informative.
Alternative Reality: How Australian Wine Changed Course
Max Allen and The Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show
Published by Melbourne Books: 255 pages; $US 47.27 / £38.99