ian wine imports to the U.S. reached one million cases, a 25 percent increase from 1992 (Scarpa, 1994, p. 1).
Since the early 1980s, Australian wines have been gaining favor with Americans. New South Wales produces 20 percent of Australia's highest quality wines, while Hunter Valley produces 5 percent. Tyrell's is a family owned winery that exports Long Flats and the expensive Vat series, and among the other important names are McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Semillon and Pinot Noir (Fried, 1993, p. 149). Wine drinkers in the United Kingdom have been leading the move toward a rapidly growing European taste for Australian wines, consuming 73 percent more in 1992 than in 1991 (Bentley, 1993, pp. 27-28). Wine exports from Australia have been a boon to the industry and have offset a domestic sales decline (Milverton, 1994, B7A).
One of the markets that has been addressed by Australian winemakers is that of the United States, and consumption patterns show that there is a market for these wines here and a large public that would be good for marketers to note. The importation of Australian wines was seen as a new trend in 1987 when Australian imports reached one million gallons, more than triple the volume of 1986. Australian wines of the sort being imported came about in the 1950s when Australian winemakers, who had previously concentrated on either cheap, fortified sherries and ports for export to Britain or rough-edged red and white table wines, shifted to a higher-grade product. Australian growers, like California growers, produce what are called "Pacific wines," which tend to be forward and fruity in taste and more notable for alcoholic strength than elegance. There are more than 550 wineries in Australia, and roughly half of them came into existence after 1975. The taste of Australian wines has compared favorably with California wines (Elson, 1988, p. 86).
The improvement in Australian wines was noted in the early 1980s a...