Australia

What a difference a year makes. Last year we wrote of record stocks. This year, following drought-affected 2007 (which reduced yields by up to 60%) and 08 vintages, the cellars are all but empty throughout Australia, forcing prices up and some out of production.

What all this confirms is that due to lack of water, Australia is no longer a reliably consistent source of inexpensive wine. But while losing their reputation for the lowest prices, the increasing number of individual producers who are working on low yields from the right grapes in the right areas are forging a reputation for the value Australia and its regions can still provide.

In the following list you will, we believe, find top wines from top regions, which are destined to be the Australian appellations of the future.