Penfolds 389 Topples Big Brother Grange as Australia’s Most Collected Wine

Want to know which wines are being collected? Get the inside scoop from the team at Wine Ark – Australia’s ‘wine bank’, storing the national reserve of Australia’s best known and clearly most loved wine brands with the release of ‘Australia’s Most Collected Wines 2016’. The results may not be all you think they’ll be.

It’s almost like ‘wine insider trading’ – knowing who is storing what in the vaults of the biggest collectors of Australian wines. It’s also a window into the future of what wines are going to come back onto the market in years to come. The biggest and most famous are not always the most sort after when it comes to keeping the bottles however.

Why not start at number one. It is a Penfolds, but probably not the one you thought it was. It’s Penfolds Bin 389, toppling the iconic Penfolds Grange and knocking it back into the number two position.

Wine Ark’s John Cuff explains: “Penfolds Grange is arguably the most collectable Australian wine. We know its amazing power and finesse, steeped in history; however it sells for a hefty price. The Penfolds 389 Shiraz Cabernet is considered by most collectors to be a cellar staple. I believe you would be hard pressed finding a cellar that doesn’t have at least a few bottles of 389 and our results clearly illustrate this”.

Wine Ark’s list of the 50 most collectable wines, released every three years, has become the go-to-guide on the subject and the results are a clear indication of trends when it comes to cellaring. Jeremy Oliver, wine writer and presenter believes “There are lists and rankings of Australian wine labels, but none are more current than this list from WineArk, which presents a genuine reflection of what Australian wines are being cellared in this country in almost real time.”

New entries into the top 50 on the list include Giaconda Chardonnay from Beechworth (up 32 places), Seppelt Chalambard Shiraz from VIC (up 33 places) and Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay from the Hunter Valley (up 31 places). The big success story for the year is St Hallett, with their Blackwell Shiraz moving up 44 places from 86 to 41. 12 per cent of the list comprises first time entries showing that new Australian wine is just as worthy of cellaring.

There has been a notable increase in the volume of chardonnay being cellared. Campbell Mattinson, publisher and wine writer, remarked: “Peering into the treasure chests of Australian wine collectors is always a fascinating exercise. It’s not just informative; it helps ground us all. For all the talk, for instance, of new Australian chardonnay styles, two of the biggest (upward) movers on the collector list are Lake’s Folly Chardonnay and Giaconda Chardonnay, both invariably made in a fuller style. Australian wine collectors listen and learn but ultimately think for themselves. That’s why we crave these lists. They keep things real. The chattering folk can say whatever they want; this is what’s actually happening.”

“Since the 2013 list, we have grown our customer base, which has added to the diversity of our managed cellars. Our growth in Melbourne is demonstrated by the increased presence of Victorian wines, however the top ten remain the same, indicating that those cellar staples are constant across the cellars of Australia,” says Mr Cuff.

Wine Ark will be running a launch tasting in both Sydney (Thursday September 1st) and Melbourne (Thursday September 8th) with Jeremy Oliver free of charge. These tastings will show a range of wines from the Top 50 including a vertical selection of Australia’s Most Collected Wine. Visit www.wine-ark.com.au for details.

Some fast facts about the Wine Ark list of Australia’s Most Collected Wines 2016:

• Most popular wine brand: Penfolds (8 entries)
• Most popular wine region: Barossa (7 entries) with Margaret River, the Clare Valley 
and Coonawarra (6 entries each)
• Most popular varietal: Shiraz (25 entries)
• Most popular state: SA (28 entries)
• White vs Red: 9 whites, 41 reds
• The most collected Shiraz: Penfolds Grange (number 2)
• The most collected Cabernet Shiraz: Penfolds (number 1)
• The most collected Cabernet Blend: Lake’s Folly (number 4)
• The most collected Cabernet Sauvignon: Moss Wood (number 5)
• The most collected Riesling: Grosset Polish Hill (number 9)
• The most collected Chardonnay: Leeuwin Estate (number 12)
• The most collected Pinot Noir: Mount Mary (number 60)

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