MEGABULK WINE BARGAINS STILL THERE

SINCE MOST BIG AUSTRALIAN WINERIES BEGAN TO LOOK LIKE OIL REFINERIES, THE OCEANS OF BOTTOM-RUNG PLONK THEY PRODUCE HAS BALLOONED TO THE POINT AT WHICH PROFIT BECOMES A RARITY. THAT'S AN OIL ONE ABOVE.

Ozwine's Sickening Slump
Big refineries Dump Bulk
Even Premiums Hit Bottom
by PHILIP WHITE

As the gross tonnage of viable wine grape expected from Australia’s disastrous 2011 vintage continues to shrink, DRINKSTER felt it might be worth taking a look at the current prices of plonk that lies about the country in tanks.

Connoisseurs impressed by today’s Coles 1st Choice promo of Special Reserve labeled and bottled wine at AU$1.89 for 750 ml. might care to study the real prices of Australian wine.

Scouring the current 16,000,000 litres of wine in the current catalogue of Bulk Wine Supplies - just one of Australia’s many bulk dealers - reveals some absolute bargains.

Just as long as you never mention the quality.

On price alone, in Aussie dollars, 2008 Barossa Chardonnay starts at $1 per litre; 2010 is $0.70. 2009 Murray Darling Chardonnay is $0.80. 2010 Wrattonbully Chardonnay is $1.00.

All these prices are wholesale, for one litre.

2008 Clare Valley Riesling is $0.80; 2009 Adelaide Hills Riesling $1.00.

While New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is in gross oversupply, you might consider a little undercutting: 2010 South-east Australia Sauvignon Blanc is $0.95 if you buy it by the tanker load; Semillon from the same vintage and region, $0.90.

Moving into the exotics, 2009 Clare Valley Classic Dry White is $1.00. 2007 McLaren Vale Gewurztraminer is $1.00, and 2007 Riverland Verdelho $0.35.

In the premium red division, super-premium 2008 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is $0.70.

2009 South-east Australia Cabernet sauvignon starts at $1.00; Shiraz from the same region and year is $0.95, 2010 Shiraz is $0.90.

2010 McLaren Vale Classic Dry Red - guaranteed to contain no white wine at all - is $0.90.

2009 Murray-Darling Merlot is $0.95.

While some of these prices apply to relatively small lots – there’s only 2,000 litres of the Hills Pinot, for example – many are in large volumes. You can negotiate below $0.88 for 900,000 litres of 2010 South-east Australia Chardonnay.

The $0.90 white-free McLaren Vale Classic Dry Red is a 500,000 litre lot; some wines are in million litre volumes.

Moving up the price scale a little, we can get the gist of what so-called premium regions really produce.

Bacchus only knows which genius conducted the blending, but Langhorne Creek Viognier/Semillon/Verdelho starts at $1.75; Pinot gris/Viognier is $1.20.

2010 Clare Valley Riesling is $1.75.

In comparison, 2010 Margaret River Semillon/Sauvignon blanc is dreadfully expensive at $2.80.

You can buy 90,000 litres of “Super Premium Quality” 2008 Coonawarra Cabernet sauvignon for $5.00. 2010 Langhorne Creek Cabernet sauvignon is $2.30; McLaren Vale Cabernet sauvignon is $2.60; 2009 Barossa Cabernet sauvignon is $3.65.

Merlot from the highly-regarded Limestone Coast is $2.65 for 2009 Mount Benson; $1.45 for 2010 Coonawarra if you buy it by the tanker load.

Shiraz from Coonawarra? Try 2008 at $1.45 by the tanker load. 2008 Mt Benson is $2.20, same vintage Barossa $3.55, McLaren Vale $3.50; 2010 Vales starts at $1.25.

The invaluable Wine Industry Directory lists eleven of these bulk wine dealers and brokerages, which between them offer bulk wines like those listed above from Australia and offshore, but also concentrates, fresh grapes, juices, market analysis, evaluation services, processing and storage.

“We can sell your excess stock quietly without damaging your brand”, promises one. “We are not brokers – we will purchase the wine directly from you.”

At the moment, it seems, if you’re a grower or maker, you can buy anything you like in the Australian wine business, except profit.

Leave the profit-taking to Coles, Woolworths, your friendly bulk dealer, and the sorts of exporters who fill 24,000 litre bags inside shipping containers to be pumped out and bottled at the other end of the Earth.