The idea of labelling wines principally by the variety of grape used to produce them only became popular about 50 years ago.
In 1973 Dan Murphy, the person not the brand, published the book above.
I analysed the names given to white wines in a previous newsletter article:
So below is a similar analysis of the names used on red wines in the late 1960s and early 70s
36 Claret
27 Burgundy
15 Hermitage
13 Cabernet Sauvignon
11 Cabernet Shiraz
10 Dry Red
7 Shiraz
5 Cabernet
2 Cabernet Sauvignon Hermitage
2 Cabernet Sauvignon Claret
2 Hermitage Dry Red
1 Cabernet Shiraz Malbec
1 Malbec
1 Mataro
1 Pinot
1 Shiraz Cabernet
1 Shiraz Claret
1 Shiraz Grenache
While the generic terms Claret, Burgundy, Hermitage and dry red dominated the names the transition to varietal labelling was underway.
Claret was the English name for wines from Bordeaux. It was adopted in Australia for wines which were supposedly similar in style.
Australian Burgundy was allegedly similar in style to wine made from that region.
Australian Hermitage wines were supposed to be like the eponymous region in France.
The difference in flavour between French red burgundy and French claret is in most cases definite and distinctive; the difference between Australian burgundy and Australian claret is indefinite and variable. Walter James, An Alphabetical Guide to Australian Wines, revised editon 1966.
Perhaps that is a polite way of saying the Australian nomenclature was codswallop!
The disruption of the Claret, Burgundy, Hermitage and dry red stronghold on wine names seems to have predated the concern about international trade treaties, although the Champagne campaign was underway by then.
By 1970 Cabernet Sauvignon was increasingly seen as a superior red wine variety. This posed a dilemma. Cabernet was the dominant variety in Bordeaux, but Aussie Claret was made predominantly with Shiraz. I don’t think much Australian grown Cabernet found its way into bottles labelled Claret.
By the early 1970s the widespread belief at the time that Cabernet Sauvignon was a superior variety had taken hold. This was reflected in pricing. On my first trip to Coonawarra in 1973 I found that the cellar door price of Brands Shiraz was $1.70. The Cabernet Sauvignon was $2.00.
Incidentally Brands was the only cellar door in Coonawarra open for tasting at the time.
There was plenty of Grenache, Mourvedre/Mataro and Malbec grown at that time, but they get scarcely a mention on labels. In fact there was a greater production of Grenache grapes than of Shiraz. Carignan and Cinsaut were also grown but didn’t rate a mention on wine labels. All of these varieties were used anonymously in blends and were prominent in many Claret, Burgundy and Hermitage wines as well as being used as minor partners of blends.
There was very little Pinot Noir in Australia at that time although it was generating interest. The one wine labelled Pinot was produced by Rhinecastle from Great Western material. It was probably Pinot Meunier, perhaps with some Pinot Noir.
We have all passed a lot of water since 1973 but it is interesting to look back. Clearly labels now are more accurate about the varieties in the wines we are drinking, but we have lost something along the way. Modern labels tell us less about the style of the wine. Sure, we know more about varieties but that is not the point that many people want to know. Most of us just want to know “Will I like it?”
Reminder:
Darby’s Taste and Talk, 5 pm Thursday 19th Jan. Subscribers will get a reminder and Zoom link details on Thursday morning.
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Here is a little game that you might like to play with a few friends - or by yourself if your friends are having dry January.
The idea is you get three masked bottles of quality wine and a quiz book. Red, white or mixed. Guided questions for you to narrow down just what you are drinking. Fun, educational and social. Ideal as a gift.
Details here Note: a small commission comes my way if you buy after clicking this link.
Cheers
Darby