Drop Of The Week
Support The Little Guy
The wine retail market is dominated by the supermarket duopoly. Coles and Woolworths have more than 70% of the market which is a shame for the little guys. The greater shame is the smaller retailers are being squeezed out of the market place either by being bought out by the big two or conveniently placed stores remove customers from the smaller operator.
But here’s some news many would be unaware of. The big two are now buying wineries and producing their own wines under their own labels. Unlike groceries in the supermarket where such “homebrands” need to be labelled accordingly, a loophole has been exploited in the liquor industry and these “homebrand” wines are not required to be labelled in such a basic fashion. Quirky labels are now all too common. The question is do you know what you are buying, who made it, and where does it come from? As a consumer, you believe you are getting a great deal purely based on price, but in essence, the pockets of the two big giants are being lined with your hard earned. It’s worth having a look at this site to get a real grasp of how many supermarket brands dominate the shelves, all 240+ of them. www.whomakesmywine.com.au/thelist.html Arm yourself with this list next time you shop at one of these stores and you’ll be surprised how wine consumers are being misguided. More importantly, support an independent outlet or chain. Their range is more varied and personalised if you request something particular.
Check out these two wines from reputable Australian wineries which have a long history producing excellent wines. Both are readily available.
McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Shiraz 2012 ($14). A superb easy drinking wine for the money. You can often find this wine on special around the $10 mark which makes it a great buy. Dark cherry and plummy fruit, throw in a smidge of dark chocolate and some spice on the finish and there you go. What you see is what you get, and what you get encourages another top up.
Fresh Raspberries and sweet plums leap from the glass in this Yalumba Old Bush Vine Grenache 2013 ($18). Some savoury characters are tipped in along with a touch of cinnamon and peppery spice. Sourced from vines planted in 1898, it possesses a tremendously silky smooth long finish and is an ideal entry point for those seeking to have a swim in the Grenache pool.
by Steve from Qwine
