The Langton Classification is a benchmark guide for collectable Australian wines. This classification system was founded by Steward Langton and Andrew Caillard MW in 1990. Wines from South Australia contribute nearly 50% of the Langton Classification. Today, we are very honored to have the co-founder of the Langton Classification, Andrew Caillard MW, for a special interview. He will lead us through the history of the Langton Classification and discuss its extraordinary significance for Australian wines.
Q:
Hello, Andrew! We are very honored to have this conversation with you. You are probably the most knowledgable Master of Wine for Australian wines. At the same time, you are also the co-founder of the Langton Classification. Please share with us the the birth of the Langton Classification.
In the 1980s, the secondary market (auction market) for Australian wine was very small. There was very little secondary market for Australian wines. The only Australian wine which had secondary market demand was Penfolds Grange. I was an auctioneer for an auction house at that time. In those days, French was dominating the secondary market. There were also some Portuguese ports. In 1987, I had a preliminary idea to list a noteworthy Australian wine list. The first version I compiled back then became the precursor of the first edition of the Langton Classification. 1988 was the inaugural year of the Langton Classification. Steward Langton proposed the idea of a "classification system." After officially joining Langton in 1989, I compiled the precusor list from 1987 into a book. Thus, the first edition of the Langton Classification was published in 1990. At that time, we organized these products into a book. In 1991, Steward came up with a brilliant idea to turn this book into a poster, making the dissemination of Langton easier.
Q:
Why did you establish this classification system at that time? What was your original intention?
We believed that by keeping updating this classification system, we could not only accumulate more information about Australian fine wines, such as price, but also significantly boost the market and demand for Australian estate wines. In the 1990s, boutique, high-quality Australian wines were booming. Those producers had at least 10-20 years of producing high quality products. We initially named it the "Langton Classification of Distinguished Australian Wines." Later, we removed the word "Distinguished" and incoperated three tiers into the classification system. The system we adopted at that time was: to evalute the quality and trade demand/price within secondary market. The purpose was to highlight the most valuable and collectable fine wines from Australia. This would also stimulate the value accumulation of this sector of our industry.
Q:
Can you share the market effects brought about by the Langton Classification?
For boutique wineries, if their wines are getting more popular in secondary market, it will increase the value of the product and hence certainly help the operation of the winery. Over the past 30 years, the Langton Classification has effectively built up the momentum in the secondary market, providing better market effects and higher value for excellent products. A typical case is Henschke Hill of Grace from South Australia. In 1988, you could buy a bottle of this wine for just over 20 Australian dollars. By 1994, its value had doubled. In the following years, the price of this wine increased exponentially. In the early 2000s, it was considered a product on par with Penfolds Grange. For the Chinese market, the Wine Australia often invited me to explain Langton Classification-themed wine events before 2019. This classification system is a market benchmark.
I want to add that the development of South Australian wine is very rapid, and I have tasted some of the best wines ever in our history. Although I am no longer invovled in the Langton Classification, I am proud of this industry. Of course, in addition to the Langton Classification, there are many outstanding wines in South Australia. For example, a female winemaker from McLaren Vale, Emmanuelle Bekkers, although her wines are not in the Langton Classification, she is undoubtedly a winemaker worth paying attention to, producing extraordinary wines. There are many wineries and winemakers like Bekkers in South Australia and throughout Australia. The Langton Classification has a certain influence in China. We believe that with the increasingly matured market and closer relationship between China and Australia wine industry, Chinese wine buyers and importers will be able to provide Chinese consumers with a wider variety of fine wines from South Australia.
South Australia is a paradise for wine enthusiasts, with its fertile lands home to numerous remarkable wineries. The diverse grape varieties, meticulous winemaking techniques, and the distinct microclimates of different regions contribute to the diverse styles and exceptional quality of South Australian wines. We look forward to exploring the latest trends in South Australian wines with you, embarking on a journey to savor the flavors of this wine region.
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