Well Said!
There are hundreds of similar examples of total commitment to handmade wines throughout the New World, even in wine regions commonly thought to be inhabited only by well-heeled glitz-seekers such as the Napa Valley. Hands-on Mount Veeder vintners Bill Jenkins of Wing Canyon Vineyard and Steve Lagier of Lagier Meredith Vineyard know every single one of their vines themselves.

Those comments came from an article by Jancis Robinson, MW in the San Francisco Chronicle of October 6. Entitled An Engish Defence of the New World, Ms Robinson clearly states her concern regarding "the completely false impressions being peddled about the wines and winemakers of the New World to and by the French."

There is a lot to be said in support of her comments. The idea that "all New World wine is 'industrial,' made from factory-farmed grapes transformed into wine in massive volumes on soulless production lines" is myopic in the extreme. But the Old World, or at least the French, do gain solice in "their view of themselves as sole upholders of the noble, atavistic traditions of handmade wine production in an increasingly wicked world. "

It is almost too easy to cite example after example of winemakers who produce outstanding hand crafted Shiraz/Syrah wines. Only a couple of examples are given in the article. If you check the right hand column of this eBlog you will find a few more. A trip to Tasting Notes will provide even more names. The Barossa Valley is covered with small wineries doing exceptional things. Dutschke, Heathvale, Kalleske, Winter Creek, the list goes on and on.

In the competitive marketplace of the modern world of wine it is not good enough simply to be French.