The difficult 2006/2007 vintage in Australia is now beginning to have an impact on UK wine supplies, according to importer Vinoceros.

The company has been forced to source a Chilean wine for the latest addition to its previously all-Australian Runamok range.

"Sourcing very good wines from Australia in the low to mid-priced brackets is now becoming increasingly difficult," said sales and marketing director Laurie Webster.

"We had envisaged this brand being an Australian one when we launched it at the beginning of the year and we are not making any grand claims about going global with the brand either. The fact is we simply couldn't source the required quality from Australia without passing on the substantial hikes to our customers."

Earlier this year some of Australia's biggest names in the wine industry were already warning of problems following a growing season blighted by drought, frost, bush fires and locusts.

Bill Hardy, oenologist for the country's number one brand, Hardys, told The Grocer the drought suffered by some regions was the worst in living memory.

Foster's EMEA also admitted earlier this year that the situation in Australia had prompted a change in strategy. "We are at a watershed for the industry where the days of year-on-year growth for Australia have gone," MD Peter Jackson said. "We have to take our business down a different route."

The company added two Chilean wines to its previously all-Australian Lindemans range earlier this year as part of the shift and announced this month it would add South African wines to the line-up.

Chile and South Africa are set to be the most likely beneficiaries of the Australian shortage, as both are able to supply quality wines in a similar style at the low to mid-price range.

"The situation in Australia presents all of us with an opportunity over the next 12 to 24 months," said Michael Cox, head of Wines of Chile in the UK.

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