Frontline Wine. Supermarket Swipe

I find it admirable that many independent wine retailers in New Zealand have taken a stand against supermarkets and don’t stock the wines they sell. Many great wine brands, their image meticulously built up over a number of years by the hard working staff on the ground in retail, have ruined their image by taking the fast buck and selling their wines en masse to big businesses who don’t give a damn which wine sells and which doesn’t. As long as the money’s rolling in, quality is not an issue. It’s now left to marketing campaigns, snazzy labels and pot luck for customers buying wines, or, even more unfortunately, the customer will stay on a safe brand and stick to the same wine or style for the entirety of their drinking lives, afraid to try something new for fear of buying something they don’t like and ‘wasting’ their money.

The supermarkets have sucked the money out of the wine trade for too long without making an effort to put anything back into it. Through not proffering guidance and unbiased information on the wines stocked to their customers, plus their use of gimmicks and marketing tools to herd buyers into purchasing high margin wines disguised as special offers, they are unwittingly creating generations of completely useless ‘bin-lid’ wine buyers who can’t think for themselves and will one day wonder why the enamel on their teeth is melting with every glass of that ‘cheap Savvy’ with the snazzy label.

So, ask yourself. What happens when a wine finally gets onto the supermarket shelves and there is a sudden jump in sales? First, you must realise that the winery will have had to have cut their margins down to the thinnest of snips for the sale to proceed (bulk buying means bulk pricing ). How do you do that? You cut corners with quality. Secondly, what happens if sales go well and the supermarket demands more? You go looking to source wine outside of your vineyards. What if the only wine you can get your hands on is crap? Who cares, blend it in…it cuts costs, it’s already selling well and how many ‘bin-lids’ will be able to tell the difference? Most of them are already stuck on the brand, too afraid to try something else. On and on this vicious cycle descends, producing characterless brands of such low quality that the rest of us wonder why on earth people buy such rubbish? But it’s a gradual drop in quality, a drop that will go unnoticed by the loyal drinkers, especially if our old friend sugar is added to mask the underlying horror.

So, here’s what you do. Write a letter to the wine buyer at your local supermarket chain ( if you don’t think they’re doing enough that is…you may be perfectly happy with the wonderful descriptions on the back of the labels…’it’s like a million butterflies floating in your mouth’…yeah right.) requesting unbiased and informative talkers on as many wines as possible plus information on the winegrowing regions and vintages. The supermarket will inform you of who best to write to. Write to your local rag (preferably one with as many ‘bin-lid’ readers as you can appeal to…this is a mission to save them, remember) raising the subject and your wish to change the situation. Finally, use an independent wine retailer. Look for a good shop that has a varied selection and knowledgeable staff who will guide and direct you into making a purchase that suits you.

These huge chains won’t spend any more money than they have to, so a little bit of negative publicity never hurts to get the ball moving. If they can tell me about a Chinese fruit they stock for two months a year, then I want to hear more about each New Zealand wine they sell. These retail giants with their huge buying power might have the wine industry by the throat, but it is possible for them to play a little bit fairer and take a little bit of the wine education load off the shoulders of the better retailers.

Michelle Richardson Pinot Noir 2006. Central Otago

This was a wine that I had highly anticipated tasting, produced by, reportedly, one of the most exciting winemakers in New Zealand. Unfortunately, I found the wine didn’t live up to the hype. The full and promising savoury nose disappeared into nothing mid-palate. In fact, I found the wine to be a nothing experience. It was wine, and that’s about it. No depth, character, little length. There were no promising flavoursome tannins that would, with age develop into the savoury, farmyard aromas of a big, Central Otago Pinot. I really enjoyed the 2005 Riesling, her first vintage of the variety, so I hope that the soon to be released new Pinot Gris holds up just as well. However, there is nothing about this Pinot Noir I can wax lyrical about. It tastes like a flying winemaker’s wine. $55

Staeteland 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough

I tasted this during the week to highlight the fact that there is something in New Zealand that people are missing out on; decent aged Sauvignon. This weighted, herbaceous and flavoursome style from a winery who I believe, produce Sauvignon Blanc to consistently high standards, would be a brilliant alternative to a young Pinot Gris…because New Zealanders ( including distributors ) have been taught to drink Sauvignon Blanc young, retailers and members of the public ‘in the know’ can find these beautiful wines at clearance prices.

Shakespeare Cliff 2005 Merlot Coromandel Peninsula

I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting much from this wine, an unheard of winery from a region I was unfamiliar with in wine terms. But, I’m happy to say, I could not have been more surprised. This powerful, firm, robust Merlot on these attributes alone would have been enough to have me gushing, but it displays a lovely fleshy soft character that is rich, finely textured and beautifully balanced. All credit to the winemakers at Mills Reef who created this wine and are making some excellent Merlot themselves. I sincerely hope this boutique winery can build on this success and keep up the good work. $35

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