Newspaper article:
“Meet the cooler, sexy shiraz”
The Weekend Australian newspaper, July 24 2021, featuring Glaetzer-Dixon Family Wine Makers in an article about Tasmanian shiraz winning over Australian wine lovers.
Tasmanian shirazzamatazz winning over winemakers and drinkers
TASMANIA CORRESPONDENT
Originally published in The Australian July 24 2021
Tasmania is indisputably the “pinot island” but changing palates are fuelling a surprise boom in plantings of a variety traditionally the proud forte of mainland wine regions.
Wine Tasmania data provided to The Weekend Australian shows shiraz plantings in the state have grown 14 per cent in the past decade, outstripping the growth across all other varieties, which averaged just 4 per cent.
“While off a very small base, shiraz has grown more than other individual varieties, as well as above the average growth across all varieties over the past 10 years,” said Wine Tasmania chief executive Sheralee Davies.
While still a fraction of the island’s dominant pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot gris, shiraz is being planted from the Tamar to the Derwent and the East Coast.
Some are planting shiraz – or, as some cool-climate types prefer, “syrah” – for the first time. Others with limited space are ripping out other varieties to make room.
Among those leading the upstart foray into viticultural territory traditionally dominated by the Barossa and McLaren Vale is winemaker Nick Glaetzer, of Glaetzer-Dixon Family Winemakers.
Coming from an old Barossa winemaking family, he moved to Tasmania in 2005 to follow his obsession with pinot, never expecting shiraz would bring him the greatest accolades.
His Mon Pere Shiraz arguably sparked the trend, shocking wine buffs nationally by taking the Jimmy Watson trophy at the 2011 Melbourne Wine show.
He and wife Sally have since devoted a third of their new 12-hectare vineyard at Tea Tree, in the Coal River Valley, to shiraz.
“Shiraz is the No.1 red wine in Australia and people are now realising you can grow it in Tasmania, whereas previously it was thought to be too cold,” he says.
“(Tassie shiraz) are not fruit bombs. They’re much more refined. A lot more savoury and a lot more spice, particularly white pepper.
“It’s incomparable to shiraz from the mainland. It’s like having a different variety. Mainland shiraz is awesome, but variety is the thing.”
Winemakers say demand is driven by drinkers increasingly flirting with lighter, more elegant wines, compared to South Australia’s full-on big reds.
Tasmanian shiraz is described as more French than Australian and has a lower alcohol content than the mainland wines.
Steve Lubiana, of Stefano Lubiana Wines in the Derwent Valley, is among the converts, producing shiraz and planning more plantings. “There’s a lot of scope for shiraz here – you just need to pick your spot,” Mr Lubiana said. “The potential is much bigger than we thought.”
In the Tamar, Marions Vineyard is making room for more shiraz. “There is a great demand and because we are short of planting area we are cutting down our cabinet sauvignon plantings and planting more syrah, cabinet franc and tempranillo,” said owner Marion Semmens.
Ms Davies, of Wine Tasmania, said while it was early days – shiraz still constitutes less than one per cent of the pinot-dominated harvest – the trend was real.
“The potential is very strong for Tasmania to produce great cool-climate shiraz,” she said.
“There is definitely a shift globally, with consumers embracing more refreshing styles.”