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Australia: our Albariño is the real thing
February 13, 2009
Max Allen
Australian winemakers insist their Albariño is the real thing despite tests casting doubt on the authenticity of the grape.
Last year French ampelographer Jean-Michel Boursiquot suspected that an Albariño vine in the Barossa Valley was in fact White Traminer, or Savagnin, a grape most closely associated with the Jura region of France.
Subsequent DNA identification carried out in France corroborated this.
But Australian growers have compared their Albariño vines with definitive identifying varietal markers used by Spanish researchers, and come to different conclusions.
Barossa winemaker Damien Tscharke, one of the largest growers of Albariño in Australia, said 'Savagnin typically has one cylindrical cluster per bunch, and one seed per grape. Albariño typically has two conical clusters and two seeds per berry. I'm standing here in the vineyard looking at conical clusters and tasting two-seed grapes.'
Albariño specialist Angela Martin, of Castro Martin in Rias Baixas, visiting Melbourne this week, went to Crittenden Estate on the Mornington Peninsula and said, 'What I saw - the leaves, the little golden yellow grapes - were very much like what I'm used to working with back in Galicia.'
Martin pointed out that the origins of Albariño in Spain are uncertain, and that there are many different clones of the variety.
Some researchers believe Albariño and White Traminer may be closely related or even clones of the same cultivar.
More accurate identification of the Albariño growing in Australia is underway. This work is expected to take at least two months.
Meanwhile many in Australia believe Albariño is one of the most promising of all the emerging, non-mainstream white varieties as it is well suited to Australian growing conditions.
There are 36 vineyards with 57ha of Albariño in South Australia alone, and there are more than a dozen examples of the variety already on the market, with many more due to appear in the next year.
Steve Guy, compliance manager for the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, says that Australian producers should continue to label and market their wines as Albariño.
The AWBC Act says that 'where there is uncertainty about (a grape) variety', winemakers can label their wine as 'whichever variety the wine manufacturer ... considers on reasonable grounds most likely to be that variety'.
Have your say...
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 Perhaps European consumer associations should now start organising actions to ban the sale of such bogus, fraudulent Australian varietals-this is typical of shrewd Aussie marketing insights, they know that one way to help counter the growing realisation that Australia simply does not have the climate to produce quality white wines with finesse, is to try and associate their wines with well-known cool-climate varietals like the Albarino - next they'l be claiming to have more acidity than a Mosel!
DD Koch
Whether or not their Albarino is Albarino, the Aussies have been making very good Riesling, almost all of it dry, for a long time. Australia has many different growing areas, some quite cool and/or elevated.
It is true that the Aussies' marketing campaigns have shot them in the foot by being too successful on the side of the cheap 'n cheerful. The assumption that Australia is incapable of producing elegant wine, white or red, is all too prevalent. I have not tried any Australian Albarino, but their refined styles of cool-climate Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and even Pinot Noir leads me to believe it
could be successful. Not being a benchmark does not mean one is an imposter.
It's the New World!
Joanna Breslin
'Australia simply does not have the climate to produce quality white wines with finesse' Are you serious? Without having to think too hard about it, how about some of the following:
Grosset Polish Hill and Watervale Rieslings, Leo Buring Leonay Eden Valley Riesling, Shaw & Smith M3 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, Leeuwin Estate Art Series Margret River Chardonnay, Tyrrell's Vat 1 Hunter Valley Sémillon, Peter Lehmann Reserve Margaret Barossa Valley Sémillon, PHI Lusatia Park Vineyard Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Chalkers Crossing Tumbarumba Sauvignon Blanc, Yalumba Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier, Henschke Joseph Hill Eden Valley Gewürztraminer, Coriole Optimist Reserve McLaren Vale Chenin Blanc, Cape Mentelle Wallcliffe Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon, Yeringberg Marsanne Roussanne not to mention Tasmanian sparkling wines from Bay of Fires, Clover Hill and Josef Chromy.
Apologies to those winemakers and regions I may have omitted, as I said I didn't think too long or hard in coming up with the above list. If you have not tasted these wines may I suggest you do so before posting such ill-informed comments?
Matt McCulloch, Clare, Australia
Dear DD Koch,
I think you have a slight prejudice issue, there are organisations that can help you, perhaps AA might be a start lol! But seriously, an apology might be in order here for your baseless, tactless and libelous assertions. I don't know where your source of information is (not on this planet surely) but it warrants reviewing.
re: uncertainty about the variety: The confusion has been caused by inconclusive identification of a single cultivar propagated from a cutting imported into Australia from Spain some 30 years ago. It has been sitting in the germplasm relatively untouched until about 7 years ago and now that the variety is gaining popularity and interest with climate change, more attention is being given to it. It is not known whether it is growing differently in Southern Hemisphere, or is a variant of Albarinho ie unidentified clone or a relative, a relative of Savagnin or Savagnin itself. The DNA tests are inconclusive at present because different labs are using different methods around the globe making it difficult to compare results to give an answer to this puzzle. Australia has very strict labelling laws and DD Koch is a little off the mark. Perhaps DD Koch needs to ask his Euro consumer groups to help audit the sorce of this vine material-afterall it did originate from an international germplasm. So DD, what do you think is in your glass? Its quite likely not what you think eh? At least the Aussies are trying to get to the bottom of it so you know for sure that if it's what it says is on the label, that's what's in the bottle.
Craig, Adelaide Hills, Australia
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