Wine Box: Aussie booze

We Brits used to think that little could be more seductive than a candlelit dinner with a bottle of fine French wine. Now, it seems, we prefer a bottle of Australian. Consider: in 1991, Australia cornered just three per cent of the UK market compared with nearly 20 per cent today; France had 44 per cent in 1986, compared with just over 20 per cent today. Between 1984 and 1994, the volume of wine shipped from Australia to Britain increased 50-fold. Sales of Aussie wine this year will overtake those of French wine for the first time.

Why are we seduced by Australia? There's the historical/colonial link, but what we find in the bottle is more important. Oz wines are seen as reliable and good value, particularly in the mid-price range. So while a £6.99 bottle of French wine is seen as a bit of risk, we believe that paying the same for an Australian wine will guarantee a delicious glass. And it's not unfair to suggest that Oz wines have a confident, user-friendly style that reflects the national character.

OK, it's not all good wine - I've tasted some pretty dire ones pumped out of the 'engine room' of the Riverina (often referred to as 'South-East Australian wines'). But most winemakers in Oz have good technical skills, great fruit to work with, and a desire to make good wines. Try some of these bottles and remind yourself how they do it.

Penfolds 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 (Oddbins, Majestic, Wine Rack, Bottoms Up, Sainsbury's and Tesco, £11.99). When you want upfront fruit in a red wine, the Aussies sure know how to get it. Flavours of cooked plum, blackcurrant and a hint of liquorice make this assertive, mid-weight red a terrific dinner-party wine. If you want to move up another notch in sheer power, Penfolds 1998 Cabernet Shiraz Bin 389 (same stockists, £14.99) is a muscular, chewy fellow with flavours of chocolate, leather and ground coffee.

Capel Vale Verdelho 1999, Western Australia (Majestic, £7.99). Australian winemakers have more or less stopped planting new Chardonnay vines (they reckon they have enough) and are starting to grow other varieties such as Semillon, Viognier and Verdelho. This one has lovely lime-cordial and greengage flavours, and is good value for its complexity. Great with pasta.

Rosemount Estate Balmoral Syrah 1996, McLaren Vale (Sainsbury's, £34.99). Rich, throbbing, succulent flavours of blackberry and morello cherry will give this huge wine pride of place at any dinner. This is the Aussie winemakers' art personified in a glass.