Mat <Ask@me> wrote:

> As a point of interest [if anyone is still reading my usual
> long-winded self-absorbed post],

Don't worry, you *are* read!

> what is the relationship between Oz and NZ wines abroad?
>
> I mean what are ppls impressions, experiences etc? I mean I
> would say most ppl would know NZ sav blanc, and Oz shiraz at
> least by reputation, but what about market share, impressions,
> experiences etc etc.?

Here in Austria, Oz has done a flamboyant entrty to the market
some five to eight years ago, mainly with shiraz, but also with
cabernet. Today the scene has flattened out a little, not so much
because of better Oz wines getting more and more expensive (which
might be one, but not the main reason), but because of Austrian
reds going from strength to streng. Red varieties - 1/6 of the
plantings 10 years ago - have doubled in the last five years.

As to NZ, the wines are virtually non-existent on the Austrian
market. Some 10 years I have seen Cloudy Bay, but never have come
across ever since (although I assume that they are imported, since
they share the importer with Veuve Clicquot).

M.