More Than Shiraz
The wine world has a funny relationship with the idea of signature wines. On the one hand, regions or even countries seem to benefit heavily when able to carve out a clear niche (think Napa cabernet or New Zealand sauvignon blanc); but what at first seems like a blessing can sour on the vine when producers find themselves unable to escape that narrowly defined box.
This is particularly pertinent when it applies to entire countries. Too often, a diverse portfolio of specific and sensitively made wines gets brutally overshadowed by the “signature” behemoth. Australia, for example, can struggle to raise awareness internationally of even its most deeply historical wine styles because its name is inextricably linked with shiraz.
A subset of Australian wines that seems to have got lost in the vast gulf between its “modern wave” of big, boisterous shirazes and its hip “new wave” of skinny chardonnays, pinots and funky natural wines is classic Aussie cabernet sauvignon, incarnations of which have been quietly
