The Australian, 13 January 2010
The PM's cellars should better reflect our interest in wine
FAIR shake of the sav blanc, but we can't help feeling the nation is being let down by its official plonk buyers. The news that the cellars at the Lodge and at the Prime Minister's official residence, Kirribilli House, are uninspiring rather than innovative is a little depressing for a country that has built a strong brand around wine. That international visitors may be offered cheap bottles of Elderton Sauvignon Blanc Semillon or New Zealand or Canadian wines, or that some bottles should have been drunk years ago, does not say much for the management of the collections.
It may be true that former prime minister John Howard was more interested in a beer than a Billecart-Salmon and that Kevin Rudd has not yet succeeded in moving his cellars from "boring" to "interesting". But it is hard to blame prime ministers whose job is to run the nation rather than sort out the wine list. The real villains are the buyers whose legacy is an inoffensive list that does little to promote our outstanding product.
Just to be clear, we're not advocating an obscure wine list favoured by inner-city topers: we're not impressed by the elites who diss anyone ordering a merlot. But an educated approach to ensuring the national cellars reflect the diversity of our wines - as well as recognising international offerings - is surely in the national interest.
