New South Wales wines are poorly represented in its public institutions

One might expect New South Wales wines to be available in the state's public institutions, such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the History Museum. This is not the case, at least not fairly. Public institutions are merely the most visible manifestation of a problem that has plagued the state's winemakers for years: Sydney's wine and food establishments do not accurately represent their wines.

At Ventuno, a waterfront restaurant in Walsh Bay frequented by tourists, the wine list boasts 190 selections, only seven of which are from New South Wales. Among the imported wines are eleven Tuscan reds and eleven Piedmontese. A producer from the state dining there might feel mildly insulted. The establishment could argue that it's an Italian restaurant with Italian-inspired cuisine. Even so, it would be worthwhile to offer some New South Wales wines made from Italian grape varieties, of which there are many. In any restaurant in Tuscany or Piedmont, wines from the region would predominate; in Sydney, New South Wales wines don't have that place.

On the wine list at Canvas restaurant, part of the Museum of Contemporary Art, 13 out of 70 wines are from New South Wales or the Australian Capital Territory, about 18.6%. It's somewhat better, though still not excellent.

David Cumming, an Orange-based wine merchant and communications professional specializing in the wine industry, has contacted Orange MP Phil Donato, Bathurst MP Paul Toole, and two members of the Legislative Council. He believes the state government is missing an opportunity by not ensuring fair representation of the region's wines in its stores.

Cumming counted, bottle by bottle, the origin of the wines on the wine lists of restaurants in state art galleries. At the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 3 out of 34 wines are from the state (8.8%). At the National Gallery of Victoria (Garden Restaurant), 6 out of 15 (40%). At the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA eat), 10 out of 14 (71.4%). At the Art Gallery of Western Australia (Cafe & Bar & Terrace), 28 out of 31 (90.3%). “It seems that Western Australia and South Australia have it all figured out,” he notes. According to Cumming, New South Wales also has other establishments, such as The Mint, that do not offer wines from the region.

Cumming proposes a policy requiring these institutions to include a minimum percentage of state wine on their wine lists, between 40 and 50 percent. According to him, this would not require new public spending or drastically alter existing agreements, and could be implemented through ministerial guidelines or by reviewing operational and procurement requirements. The biggest beneficiaries would be independent and regional producers, who lack the scale to compete for a place on the wine lists of large hospitality buyers.

The state is not lacking in styles or varieties: regions such as Orange, Tumbarumba, Canberra District, Hilltops, Hunter Valley, Riverina, Shoalhaven, Mudgee, New England, Cowra, Gundagai, and Southern Highlands cover almost every need. The author supports the proposal: it makes sense that institutions that tell the story of New South Wales should have wine lists that reflect it, and that visitors from other parts of Australia and abroad should find their wine at one of the most natural moments of their visit.