Interview with Molly Dooker, McLaren Vale, South Australia

I've decided to copy and paste the response that we got, so you can see the exact responses ( I still can't repeat enough how much I love these guys! ) :

Hi Lindsey,

We are so happy to hear that you loved the winery tour here and most of all the 
wines! Sorry that I have not gotten back to you sooner, I wanted to gather some 
information from both the Winemakers (you may have met, Pete) and our Australian 
National sales person (Nick) who had a great back ground in the industry. So 
here goes:

1. What do you think about Australia's current wine market?
Australia’s wine market is facing one of the most challenging times in its 
history. Five key structural issues have adversely impacted the industry, 
namely;
 # The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has reduced worldwide demand for Australian 
wine consumption (along with other luxury goods).
 # Oversupply – Extensive vineyard plantings planned during the high growth era 
of the late 90’s and early 2000’s are now producing fruit. Australian 
viticulture production now supplies approximately 200% of domestic consumption, 
leading to increased pressure on exports and downward pressure on both grape and 
finished wine prices at a time when global demand for wines is reducing.
 # The strong $AUD – since the GFC, the Australian dollar has risen 
significantly against foreign currencies, raising Australian wine prices at a 
time when global and export wine prices are in decline.
 # Water / Weather  – Continued drought and high water prices in Australia have 
impacted the cost of growing grapes. Recent vintages have also seen heat waves 
(2007 / 2008) and large scale botrytis infections / crop losses (2011) which 
have decimated grape grower’s incomes.
 # Competition – significant improvements in large scale, low cost, quality 
winemaking in France, Italy, Spain, Chile and Argentina have displaced 
Australia’s previously unassailable position as the world’s low cost value wine 
producer,
Despite this, Mollydooker sales continue to grow in Australia both via the trade 
and direct to consumer channels.

2. How many cases do you produce annually?
We try and aim at 60,000 cases every year. This may fluctuate by +/- 10,000 
cases depending on season variation.

3. About what percentage of your wine is exported?
90%

4. What countries do you choose to export to, and why?
Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Singapore, 
Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore & Malaysia, United Kingdom, and USA. 
Mostly Sarah and Sparky had personal relationships with these people, and also 
persistent people who keep asking for our wines.

5. How would you compare Australia's wine market to California?
Australians, like Californians, are very parochial. We tend to drink a lot of 
Australian wine and particularly from those regions where we live. Our favourite 
varietals are Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. 70% of all Australian 
retail wine sales occur through the supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles, 
which creates significant price competition in the market. This combined with 
the oversupply, means there are great bargains to be had for consumers

I'm not sure if you have the chance to check out our website (both a Aussie and 
USA), you might find some of the info and videos quite helpful as well: 
www.mollydookerwines.com 

We wish you all the very best success with your studies. :)

Simone
Helping Hand