I no longer drink wine so will have to help give the case of Grange away to colleagues who have helped to deliver work above and beyond the call of duty.
The argument is that French wine is cheaper and better to drink then Aust wine so the average punter should buy French wine. However, if you compare prices of premium reds the Grange is about $600 to $800 per 750 ml compared to French red premium wines available in Aust going for above $2000 for 750ml of red. Case in point if you use the Vintage Cellars website and search by country eg Aust and compare with France the prices at the top end of the French wines are at least X3 that of Australian reds.
Use https://www.vintagecellars.com.au/ and you can confirm this for yourself. Vintage cellars is a reliable national retailer.
On the lower end branded French reds in Aust are going for about $8 for 750 ml versus $4.50 for a bottle of Australian red.
As a case in point using the vintage cellars search engine I would not be able to give away 6 bottles of French wine from Chateau Lafite at the upper end of the premium French red wines available in Australia. Whereas the Penfolds Grange although pricey on average is about $700 for 750ml which is a 60% discount to the French premium of the same volume.
Of course we are not comparing apples with apples but oranges with apples in terms of taste and bouquet of the product. However, given the debate was based on price of drinkable French vs Aust wines - the Aussies win hands down in terms of premium priced red wine being more affordable.
So much so that we have the opportunity to give away 6 bottles of Penfolds Grange and we would not be able to afford to do so with the Chateau Lafites available in Aust. As the cost would be much more. See a description and cost of the wines below.
2010 Lafite Pauillac - This info from https://www.vintagecellars.com.au/Red%20Wine/ch-lafite-pauillac-2010-750ml_8905246
Across any 6 - $2879.99 each bottel
Each $3199.99 Availibility Limited
2010 Lafite Rothschild – Produced from a blend of 87.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12.8% Merlot.The wine opens with cedar, earth, minerality, cassis and forest floor aromatics. The palate is suave, polished and fresh, with layers of pure blackberry and spicy cassis. This is pure refined elegance. While not the most powerful First Growth, it's the most regal in bearing. According to the Director, Charles Chevalier, part of the reason for the success in 2010 was due to less pumping over than usual. Chevalier added, with the high 13.5% alcohol level, his team spent more time watching over each individual vat during fermentation. Alcohol Content 13% Style Rich & Robust Reds Cellaring Long term cellaring (7 years or more) Closure Cork Origin France, Bordeaux Vintage* 2010
1993 Penfolds Grange - This info from https://www.vintagecellars.com.au/Red%20Wine/penfolds-grange-1993-750ml_192491
Across any 6 - $666.00 each bottle
Each $740.00 AvailabilityLimited
Medium to full red-purple; voluminous blackberry, licorice, black cherry and chocolate fruit aromas completely integrated with sweet vanillin oak on the bouquet; has a texture and structure all of its own, not monolithic, yet meltingly smooth. Maintains the great tradition.' - 94 Points.
James Halliday - Published on 20 Jul 2011 Alcohol Content 13.5% Style Spicy & Flavoursome Reds Cellaring Medium term cellaring (up to 7 years) Closure Cork Origin Australia, Sa
Great post! Really interesting debate. I've recently started drinking more European wine than Australian, predominantly because they tend to use less preservatives in the production process. I've always wanted to try Grange though, it's supposedly the most wonderful Australian wine out there. Your colleagues will be very lucky to receive some from this incredible stash!
ReplyDeleteP.S returning to work this week, hopefully see you very soon!