I live in Australia and I personally have a penchant for top tier Jura wines. Genevat, Labet, Overnoy, Bruyère-Houillon, Bornard, etc. Over recent years I have seen the cost of these wines sky-rocket for varying reasons (low production due to weather, increased demand, reduced allocations to importers, scarcity due to importers and retailers not releasing wines to the market). This makes accessing these wines very difficult as there is significant competition to source them. Some secondary markets for the rarest and most sought-after Jura bottles can increase to 300-400% their original cost. Outrageous.

This is not just a problem for wines from the Jura, but also other regions. Burgundy is another great example. Both red and white have seen major increases in demand and as such, cost has followed suit; in reality making them difficult to obtain or too expensive at current prices.

I presume most of you would love to try Domaine de la Romanee Conti (among others) but you, like me, are accepting of the fact this is a pipe dream for the majority of us.

Anywho…I'm interested in hearing from others about the lengths you go to source the wines you find desirable and want to drink? Do you pay what the market is asking? Do you go without? Do you spend hours trawling the internet to find what you want? Do you harass importers to get allocations?

by Braschy_84

3 Comments

  1. upthebaggers

    I’m in Australia too (and a Jura lover too!) and can offer my experiences to your questions.

    I agree with you about the past four or five years. Importers tend to get their stock in yearly cycles, so I kind of keep a mental note of when what I like should be coming in. Obviously following them all on Insta and tagging them if I post anything helps as well.

    I have better relationships with some than others. (Not saying I have bad relationships, but some are easier to engage with for sure). Keeping in touch via email and Insta is pretty easy. Others may be more insular. Having met them a couple of times and introducing yourself as well, very handy.

    I also keep decent relationships with shops and bars near me, and they may mention what’s coming in soon. And, set alerts on wine alerts but it doesn’t always work.

    As for prices, it’s getting tough out there. I can’t tell if producers are actually upping the wholesale prices and the importers are reacting in step, or it’s a little bit of “it’ll still sell if I mark it up more” but there are some whose portfolios have skyrocketed in the past few (maybe 4-5) years, while others have been more gradual (inflation, costs).

    I’ve given up on a couple of cultier producers – from $80-100 to $150-$200 for the same bottles is not my idea of fun – I’ve started to ask what’s fresh and new, and who is the next producer to watch.

    If I ever get to Europe (maybe every 18 to 24 months) I bring back a few hard-to-find, or better value bottles to and on top of the 2.25L allowance and declare “a couple of extra bottles”. Have always been waved through, just don’t take the piss.

    Interested in your thoughts on the Australian scene!

  2. Tbh I think any semblance of of ‘value’ Jura wines in Australia is long gone, and will never return. Sure, there are some newer producers being imported, and less aggressively priced than their well-established counterparts, but I’ve found the QPR to be thoroughly lacking. I’ve rather given up on it as a region. Even as someone who has wholesale access, for me, it just isn’t worth maintaining minimum-spend levels or brown-nosing importers.

    Regarding sourcing wines, I’m always trying to look in the shadows, the cracks, the forgotten spaces. I.e. what Jura used to be 5-10 years ago. Volcanic whites from the world over (Azores, Canaries, etc.), Spain and Portugal (Rioja Blanco, Encruzado, Godello, etc.), Albarino from Uruguay, non-Etna Catteratto, Timorasso, quality Chenin from SA or Loire, so on.

    Hell, even Australia has some wildly good, detailed, complex, and great value whites on offer. Certainly don’t give up on it.

    Sry this got real rambly real quickly. I guess my overarching view is that:
    *Jura is too hype now, it – and Burgundy – will always be expensive, and what little value there is to find is being rapidly arbitraged out of the market. The world of wine is broad and diverse, look where others aren’t looking, and you’ll find great wines that still make a solid value proposition.*

  3. Getting to know wine importers that import them to Australia

    Buying a lot from those wine importers.

    At some point you get access to the “better” stock.

    Or travel to France and source them yourself and bring back a couple of cases (and pay the taxes)

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