Peter Gago of Penfolds was pictured above at the 2017 launch of the luxury g3 blend in Hong Kong. Well might he look quizzical now that China has effectively banned imports of Australian wine. How are Australian wine producers coping without their most important market, which until the ban was worth 40% of all exports?
Cleanskin is a word familiar to Australian drinkers. It refers to unlabelled wine, sold cheaper than it would be if it carried a winery’s name and brand, discounted to clear.
In the mid-2000s, when Australia was in the grip of a grape glut and the...