Prices for Bordeaux may be dropping but down under, the latest vintage from the Penfolds Grange may be the priciest yet. The
2004 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange, which will be released on May 1, is already selling in pre-release for $599 Australian (around $422 a bottle). It is said to be among the great vintages of the Grange (recent past top vintages have been the 1998, 1996 and 1990).
Decanter also reveals that the Penfolds' super-premium collection will also be released on May 1. The complete collection is seven wines that includes he 2006 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommended retail price of AUS$185; 2006 Penfolds RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz - $170; 2006 Magill Estate Shiraz - $100; 2005 St. Henri Shiraz - $95; and 2007 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay - $90.
Penfolds Grange is one of the top name brands for wine in the world and widely regarded as Australia's most prized wine but at a time when even marquee name wines
like Mouton Rothschild are being offered at the lowest prices in years it seems a daring strategy to charge this much no matter how highly regarded a wine it is.
We've been seeing more and more wine companies considering plastic wine bottles as a greener alternative to glass. The bottles are lighter and 100 percent recyclable. One Australian producer, Wolf Blass creates a line called "Green Label" that uses these lighter bottles. But a new study which was commissioned by the plastic bottle manufacturer Portavin shows that while the bottles might be better for the environment they are not so good for wine over the long haul. While wine stored in plastic or glass taste similar at first, after eight to 12 months the taste changes. The PET bottles let air in, oxidizing the wine. The cheaper, lighter bottles should be used for more inexpensive wine which will be consumed quickly.
