In the past year, total wine sales in Australia increased from $3.1 billion to $3.2 billion; however, wine export volume decreased. Although there was a decrease in the export volume, the trend in the Australian wine demand is towards more expensive wines. The new foreign investments coming in, particularly from China, have boosted the confidence in the country’s wine industry.

Changing the Perception of Australian Wines

According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), Australian wine exports were worth $181 million in 2010-2011 and likely to increase if the perception of Australian wines is changed. There’s a big export opportunity in China but this has suffered because of the image that China has of most Australian wines sold in their market: cheap wine, therefore not of good quality. To better penetrate the Chinese market, Australia should do a good job of promoting Australian wines.

This scenario is the same with Australian wines’ reputation in America, as featured in the March 2012 issue of Business Review Australia. There is a need to overcome the stereotype of Australian wine; and that’s what Wine Australia, a statutory authority of the Australian Government, focused in their marketing efforts during the Australia Week across the US and in the coming months.

What Gives Turners Crossing Vineyard the Edge in Wines

For Turners Crossing Vineyard, they have well established their presence in the industry across the country and in other four continents. Their grape vineyard, nurtured since the 1800s, has produced exceptional, premium quality wines that earned them national and international recognitions. If you’re wondering why they have been successful and how they have made it this far, here are some of the factors that made Turners Crossing Vineyard what it is today:

• Grape vineyard

o Located near Bendigo, a historic wine-growing region in Central Victoria, Australia

o Situated on the banks of the Loddon River, at Turners Crossing, a popular river crossing used by local farmers in the mid to late 1800s

o Warm days and cool nights allow grapes to ripen during the day and recover at night

o Has 105 acres of grape vines on red, well-drained, sandy clay topsoil, with red light-medium clay subsoil that contains limestone pebbles

o Pesticide- and chemical-free

• Grape vines

o Spur pruning

o Carefully calculated bud numbers to deliver low yields, ensuring premium quality of the wine

o Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Piccolit and Viognier grapes

o Supply fruits to highly regarded wineries: Hanging Rock, Blackjack, Chateau Leamon, Seppelts, Cellarmasters, Sandhurst Ridge, Mount Moliagul, and Carlei Green Vineyards

• Wines

o "The Cut" Shiraz

• Their premium wine released in 2003

• Consistently awarded over 90 points since its release by wine guru James Halliday

o Cabernet Sauvignon

• A complex mix of flavours in a class of Bendigo Cabernet Sauvignons that are difficult to emulate

• Awarded over 93 points by wine guru James Halliday

o Shiraz Viognier

• Most popular wine in their range

• Consistently awarded over 94 points since its release in 2004

o Viognier

• The only white wine in their range

• Awarded over 90 points

Turners Crossing Vineyard reflects the taste of delicious and quality Australian wines that the world demands.