The blind leading the blind?

"The quality, excellence and value of the best Australian wines have never been better. The Australian wine industry’s communication and mood have never been worse. It is up to the stakeholders to have a long, hard look at themselves and each other because there is no such disconnect anywhere else in the wine world.

That’s not to say it is all doom and gloom. Fortune favours the brave, and this is never truer about Aussie winemakers who continue to travel the globe opening glorious, unique and delicious bottles for all to taste. They are winning. Those who sit at home will fail. There is so much choice nowadays that you must fight for every listing, write-up and sale. You are in the wrong business if you make great wine but don’t enjoy the chase.

Fortunately, I see many Aussies fly over, some twice or three times a year, to pour their wines and expound on why they make them and why we ought to love them as much as they do. Never a week goes by without multiple meetings with people from the country who make the most exciting wines on earth. The greatest estates make ever more exceptional wines, and the punters want more. I know because I enjoy talking to them. Nothing gives me more pleasure and pride than organising massive high-end, high-energy events accompanied by in-depth literature and detailed instructions on where to buy my favourite Australian wines. The UK consumers lap it up, and it’s only the wine trade that has yet to realise that Australian Fine Wine is a thrilling category that stands shoulder to shoulder with every other country’s finest creations.

Those wine trade individuals who attend my events to pour their wine know this, too. But, somewhere along the line, balls are dropped, and communication is diminished along with enthusiasm and dynamism. There is often little fanfare when the wines find their way to the customer. Of course, everyone is partially at fault, but the main issue is that there is no coherent message from the top. If there is no leadership, gatekeepers become disillusioned and look elsewhere. I fight with importers daily for accurate information, stockist details, pricing and availability of wines I want to sing about. These wines have a vast, untapped audience in the UK, but punters will never be able to find them, let alone buy them if they are clogged in an uncaring system.

I have been saying this for nearly 40 years, and I know it to be truer today than ever before: our wine trade is not a professionally run business; it is often a lifestyle choice which attracts those lacking genuine enthusiasm and the required talent commensurate with our drinks. Of course, there are many exceptions, but as a great (Aussie) pal of mine once said, “Average is the cream of the crap”, and I worry that the many truly fantastic Australian wines are dragged down by disinterested people.

I wish all the great wineries the very best. They have been fighting lone battles for far too long. A handful of well-meaning Poms, my wife Amelia and I are here to help as much as possible; perhaps if we stay the course, we will prevail. Recent tastings and gatherings prove that the ‘rebel alliance’ is strong! We care too much about the wines and the people who work so hard to make them, and have done this for too long to give up now. Perhaps it’s time for a spring clean inside and out, and we can move forward with intent, accuracy and momentum."

Your pulse is racing, emotions are coursing through your body, you’re seething and you desperately want to provide an eloquent rebuttal however, all you want to scream is, ‘I have never read such utter bollocks.’ Apologies. Eloquence has abandoned me as these statements are absolute drivel, inflammatory and factually inaccurate. 

I have no beef with Matthew, I admire some of his work and we are happy to share his tasting notes with our customers however, I do not pander to anyone, and I certainly must provide a factual response when I read something that is blatantly incorrect.  

Let’s begin with a fact that dispels, ‘Those who sit at home will fail’ (all can be substantiated). Two Aussie producers (one from Tasmania and one from the Barossa) both represented by The Vinorium. Neither producer has ever travelled to the UK to hold an event. 32,079 bottles have been sold generating sales revenue of £1,762,979 (circa $3.6 million). Vintages 2017 to 2023. Success and not failure, and I can provide hundreds more examples.

The Barossa producer kindly sends samples 5-6-months ahead of their own launch and well before any wine media gets to open a bottle. Most of our sales are generated from spending quality time with each wine, and the sharing of our own tasting notes, which provides everything that our customers require. Ditto for our Tassie producer (no reliance of the media which I will come back to). 

I do not sign-up to the purported negative mood surrounding Aussie wines. Quite the contrary, in fact. For the period 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025, Australian wines sales at The Vinorium have increased by 30% versus the same period 2024, and we are not talking small numbers. Guess what and without sounding churlish – not one single winemaker visit, lunch, supper, no schmoozing, nor a ‘grand’ tasting…

As previously communicated in the WBM (November / December ’24) The Vinorium has sold over $47 million worth of Aussie wine during the past seven or eight years, which provides a sound basis for our position. In that time, we have held one ‘grand tasting’ which was fun and very expensive. Commercially, this event ran at a huge loss (as most do…). I must also add that sales at The Vinorium from 2019 to 2021 were fabulous – circa $16 million, of which more than 95 percent can be attributed to Australian wines, and the vast majority through getting off our backsides and sourcing direct. What is worth noting is that we operated with a team of eight, and we do not follow the traditional model which has been failing for years. 

Of course, The Vinorium has suffered during the past 3-years. Sales have taken a serious tumble as, and rightly so, customers’ monies are required to fulfil more pressing matters. Yet, and for the financial year ended 31 December 2024, we made more profit after tax than one of the UK’s leading importers – one whose turnover is $200 million higher than ours!

I also do not sign-up to the notion of there being a ‘secret ingredient’ – save for, we do not follow the flock of blind sheep who, “travel the globe opening glorious, unique and delicious bottles for all to taste.” I am humble, I am the forklift driver, I pick, and I pack with my small, but incomparably brilliant team, I buy the wine, I sell the wine, I organise all the shipments, I monitor the FX market, I am happy to take one week off a year and work seven-days-per-week. The notion that and to quote Matthew who, and by the very nature of this article is the UK’s representative, “our wine trade is not a professionally run business; it is often a lifestyle choice which attracts those lacking genuine enthusiasm and the required talent commensurate with our drinks,” is a disgrace. Wine life can be all consuming, and sales are hard to come by. Many sales representatives work long hours and often at the expense of time with their young families. I want to reassure Aussie producers that this statement does not represent many who work in the UK wine industry. These are poor word choices provided by someone sitting in a privileged position, and by someone who does not sell Aussie wine directly. There are senior members of our industry who are inept, and I will provide an example later in my response.  As for ‘a lifestyle choice’ – I am happy with a tuna butty and a cooling glass of wine after I have finished my morning warehouse chores (my mornings often start around 4:30am). 

The UK / Aussie wine market has been declining for years, which I have also been saying for years. The model is tired, broken and it is getting worse… Vanity, blindness, greed and a degree of laziness is killing Aussie wines sales in the UK. Four resounding facts that warrant an explanation.

The model of a dedicated importer selling on to independent wine merchants (who in turn sell to private customers) has been flawed for years, and yet it continues. In many cases – there is no room for three in the bed. I could provide a list longer than my garden that shows wines being offered to indies already at the same prices that those wines are offered by wine merchants in Australia. In short, these wines have already reached their price ceiling and that’s before a wine merchant adds their margin, resulting in slow to no sales. I have lost count of how many times I have challenged their pricing (shipping from Oz to the UK is circa £1.00 per bottle). Artificial and grossly inflated RRPs are provided to UK merchants to entice a sale. Respectfully, to those importers and with the aid of the World Wide Web – it does not take a genius to ascertain these prices are ludicrous. 

Allow me to provide a recent example (June 2025). I will not mention names however, our contact works for one of the largest UK importers (home to some big, Aussie brands) and is their fine wine director. We reached out to explore the possibility of buying a full pallet (600 bottles) of one of their wines - a Barossa Shiraz. The aim was to ship directly from the winery and take control of the shipping ourselves. We received their ex-cellar price and were amazed… 

Here’s the email thread.

Team Vinorium “In truth, not a great price ex-cellar. This retails @ $55 per bottle (£26.57). Based on today’s FX rate @ 2.07. Add the cost of shipping / duty / VAT and we are @ £29.85 which is above Aussie retail. We haven’t considered profits / LCB’s fees (RH&D) etc. We ship huge amounts direct (from our own producers) and normally sell at the equivalent Aussie price. We’re at a loss to understand why this is so expensive. Can you help us to understand why?”

Their response “The typical retail price for XXXXXX in the UK is £45-50 pb. The best FOB price we can offer you is $240/6.  This should enable you to sell at c £37-40 pb making 25-30% margin. We are going to be selling to the merchants at £125 6/ib. 

Team Vinorium “Disappointingly, your original offer @ $260 ex-cellar is more expensive than your proposed selling price to the merchants at £125 6/ib, which does not reflect well on you. Your re-pitch @ $240 equates to a price (including shipping) @ £123.00. Clearly, there is zero incentive or financial uplift for The Vinorium to consider this. Accordingly, we will not be proceeding.”

This winery lost out on a sale based on their importer’s greed and their clear inability to add basic numbers together. Their bullshit justification on UK RRPs is just that.

Here’s another but in a very different form (June 2025)...

Discussions took place regarding purchasing an Aussie sparkling wine (stocks were in the UK). To receive a beneficial price (well below the recommended retail value) the minimum order was 2,400 bottles – a substantial number but manageable. Pricing was agreed and the deal would get across the line after we sampled the wine. This was our response, “We sampled (several times) the XXXXXXX today – it’s OK (very ordinary if I am being honest). This is not a £30 bottle of wine (let alone north of £35). 
 We must think like our customers who we know well… We believe very few would return for a repeat order @ £25 per bottle. We were keen to make this work however and based on the wine’s drinking (versus sales price), this would be a very bad commercial decision for The Vinorium. Furthermore, I believe we would be sitting on hundreds of cases which would devalue against an increase in our costs.”

Greed was not an issue here. Vanity was. The global RRP is out of kilter to what is inside the bottle. 

Every year The Wine Merchant carries out the most comprehensive study of the UK independent wine trade. This year’s Survey of Independents involved more than 200 businesses. It was the 12th survey of its kind, revealing not only the current state of play in the trade, but showing how trends have evolved over the past decade… If my memory serves me well – Australia came eleventh or twelfth (out of twenty). Below mid table, which is a wake up call to you all and provides clear evidence that and unless there are radical changes, Aussie wines sales will continue to stagnate or fall further. As one indie from North Yorkshire said, “Australian Shiraz is my wine hell. I can tell a bad one from a good one and I have to have them on the shelf, obviously, so I have got some very good ones, but it’s the last thing I would pick on a wine list, that’s for sure."

WBM’s article begins with, ‘Existential crisis or just another twist and turn in the ever-changing life of wine? Regardless, where are we going as an industry? What needs to change and what needs to stay the same? UK wine writer Matthew Jukes is a long-time supporter and promoter of Australian wine. When he speaks, it’s worth listening to.’

In this case – I would take his words with a very large pinch of salt. Matthew Jukes’ advice is self-serving and supports his own interests and business. The belief that those who do not travel regularly will fail is beyond ridiculous. For God’s sake – stop treating the press like bloody celebrities and stop pandering to them. A little press is good for everyone (balance and a different perspective etc…) however, it is way out of kilter, bordering obsessional for far too many producers.

The UK / Aussie wine market is not going to change any time soon (it hasn’t in the past 3-4-years). Major importers are too cumbersome or loathed to change and the rest follow each other like lost, blind sheep. The next vertical tasting, the next posh lunch, dinner, a line-up of rare and beautiful bottles, and all for what? A post on Instagram or to keep up with one’s neighbours (in the willy swinging club). It is widespread, and it is pathetic…

Aussie wine offerings have become jaded, which I hear from many indies. Some buy direct and bypass the worn-out system. Often, it is the same producers being shown at all the major tastings, which is disappointing and for many indies, boring. There is no skill in putting a list of 100 Aussie wines together and declaring a road show. Most are already here, and we know them all… It’s a fun day out for the paying public and great PR for the hosts, however, and I will bet you a lot of money that we sell more wine in a week than a weekend roadshow that will cost a small fortune.

Skill comes in getting off your arse and finding wine producers that you believe could / should have a home in the UK. Producers that do not have any track record in the UK – new beginnings for all. In the past month we have placed orders with three, new Aussie producers which we cannot wait to share with our customers and we have samples arriving from four others.

If you want things to change. You must change…