It’s just not going to be Australia’s year. Drought and frost decimated the ’07 and ’08 harvests, followed by a chronic irrigation water shortage, but given the extraordinary ability of well-equipped Australian winemakers to make the best of a bad job, few of us here were prepared for the subsequent gallows drop in Aussie wine quality. However, anyone tasting the thin, salty 2007 Lindemans Winemakers Release Chardonnay and Shiraz blends will know what the bottom of this scuzzy wine barrel tastes like. Alas there are lots more dire Aussie ’07s and ’08s in the pipeline.

The other surprise, given the Australian wine industry’s nous, is how quickly prices have leapt up. Admittedly, sterling’s drop and the budget’s hike in duty have not helped, but there is almost nothing worth drinking from Australia under £4 and precious little sub-£5 – precisely the price points that made sweet, sunny, fruit-filled, easy-glugging Aussie wines so popular with British drinkers. No wonder overall Australian wine sales have plummeted for the first time in five years.

Australia can now only hope that we will pay the high prices demanded by its finest wines. Following on from its quest for regional heroes – wines that match the right grape to the right patch of dirt – comes a new initiative: Landmark Australia.

Ponderously billed as “high profile, distinguished wines built on inherent quality and world class reputation”, Landmark recently hosted a tasting with 18 different bottles on the Guest List, and it was clear that a fair few of the previous ill-conceived “iconic” wines had tipped up here. A 26-strong reserve list included, Lord help us, three deeply ordinary vintages of Jacob’s Creek’s Steingarten Riesling, a suitably titled, cough mixture-scented Duck Muck 2004 Shiraz-Cabernet, and a clutch of other earthy, oaky, alcoholic also-rans.

Thankfully, there was plenty to enthuse about on the 18-strong A list, with Mount Langhi Ghiran’s seductive, silky, peppery, violet-scented 2004 Langhi Shiraz (Majestic Fine Wine, £25) claiming the honours. Second place went to Glaetzer’s amazing, fat, spicy, brambly 2006 Anaperenna Shiraz-Cabernet (Great Western Wine, 01225 322810, £30) and Penfolds’ handsome, supple, perfumed, mulberry-packed 2004 RWT Shiraz (Berry Bros & Rudd, 01256 340182, £44).

On the next rung down came Cullen’s refined, velvety, chocolate-finished 2005 Diana Madeline Cabernet-Merlot (Liberty, 020-7720 5350, £35) and the fine, floral, gently oaky elegance of 2005’s Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay (Majestic Fine Wine, £40).

Landmark is Australia’s attempt to re-invent itself as a fine wine producer. Whether it works or not is up to you.

jane.macquitty@thetimes.co.uk

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