Antipodean alternatives

In response to our many readers who have a stated interest in alternative varieties (the subject of the tasting Julia will be hosting in London tomorrow night at The Quality Chop House), I compiled most of the tasting notes below at this year's annual generic New Zealand and Australia tastings, held in London every January and February.

Walter wrote at length recently on Italian grape varieties in Australia. In his series of articles he describes a realisation that a variety native to Piemonte need not necessarily share identical characteristics when grown in Australia for it to be good quality. That...