New Releases from Australia, Part 2

Unfortunately, with government backing, the Australian wine industry is currently trying a variety of slick marketing angles to promote their wines to export markets, complete with stereotypical, knee-slapping corporate gibberish like "collaborative marketing opportunities," "strategic initiatives," "high-involved consumer interest," and "outcome-driven agendas." Campaigns like "Brand Australia" and its "Regional Heroes," "Landmark," "Generation Next" and "Brand Champions" subdivisions ostensibly emphasize regional distinction and variety of styles but these programs have already begun to fracture. Smaller producers have predictably felt left out of the decision-making process and believe that the large producers, who, to be fair, are footing most of the bills, are hogging the spotlight. And they're mostly right. All this serves to do is reinforce the image of the Australian wine industry as marketing-driven and corporate, which translates to bland and predictable for most serious American wine drinkers. Until Australia's smaller, more idealistic and world-class producers get their wines into American glasses, the struggle for respect for all Australian wine is going be uphill, no matter how much money is dumped into fancy ad campaigns. Real wine will trump corporate mumbo jumbo in the long run.