Quality over quantity indeed. Loved the Oz wines IN Oz. Spent a very pleasant week in the Hunter valley (extended due to forest fires in the blue mountains) some years ago.
What is amazing is the cost now for decent Oz Shiraz. There is Shiraz and then there is actually Shiraz (likened to Coke and actually Coke).
We get a lot of your crap in the UK now. The stuff they pump into big bags in shipping containers and then bottle here. Horrible headache in a bottle stuff. I have to pay upwards of £ 30 these days to get anywhere close to a proper one, which I don't because we do have much better bang for your buck with the EU producers. Rarely do I even bother with OZ wines because I know full well you keep the good stuff to yourselves.
Noticed on my trips your way prices have gradually increased dramatically too, nowhere near UK but looks like the Chinese effect has had impact on you too.
I still shudder when I think of watching a group of Chinese businessmen in Shezhen restrauant opening a bottle of Penfold block 42 and then mixing it with 7 UP / sprite. It was about £600 a bottle totally clueless but they do love their status symbols. However they will without doubt be partly responsible for destroying the industry by greed and over production and or pushing prices beyond the reaches of us mere mortals. Alas wine production is finite. Some vineyards in France are actually preparing to change grapes in certain areas due to global warming!!
Don't know if you get much NZ stuff but if you like your whites dry and full of fruit and flavour then you can't go wrong with a Chardonnay Greywacke. Same guy that developed cloudy bay and half the price but just as good if not better. Alas it could be short lived as Emirates finally realised how good it is for the money and put it in their business menu. All good things as they say.
Just my opinion but id avoid methadone and be quite insistent about having sub's instead. I've used m'done but never rattled off it. I know plenty who have and its duration makes it hell.
