A Conversation with Jane Lopes MS
There’s a moment in many wine careers when the trajectory quietly shifts. For Jane Lopes, it came via a bottle of 1983 Chevalier-Montrachet, but what followed was less about a single epiphany and more about the realisation that wine could sit at the intersection of intellect, sensory experience and human connection.
Born in Napa, California, Lopes’ path into wine was anything but linear. A graduate of the University of Chicago in Renaissance literature, she initially set her sights on academia before a year working in wine retail led to a change in plans. That shift led her through some of the most influential dining rooms in the United States, including The Catbird Seat, where she was opening Beverage Director, and Eleven Madison Park, where she was part of the team during its ascent to number one on the ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.’
Life would later take her to Australia, where she led the beverage programme at Attica, widely regarded as one of the country’s most important restaurants. In 2018, she passed the Master Sommelier exam, becoming the only woman in Australia, at the time, to hold the title. It was a milestone that underscores both her technical precision and her broader influence on how wine is communicated.
Alongside her work in hospitality, her writing and perspective have been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Wine Enthusiast and Imbibe, and she is the author of books including Vignette: Stories of Life & Wine, and notably for this discussion How to Drink Australian. The latter co-authored with husband Jonathan Ross, who also holds the MS title.
That intersection of academic curiosity, restaurant experience and global perspective frames how she now interprets Australian wine. She sees it not as a singular narrative, but as a complex, evolving story. What emerges from our conversation is less a rebrand than a recalibration: Australia not as “sunshine in a bottle”, but as one of the most dynamic, multifaceted wine cultures in the world.
ASI: Australia built enormous global momentum in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Was the strength of that unified narrative also part of its later challenge?
Jane Lopes (JL): There’s no single culprit. Marketing certainly played a role including campaigns that simplified Australia into something cheerful but reductive didn’t help its fine wine image. But more decisive were external forces: the global financial crisis, a strong Australian dollar, and shifting market dynamics. In the United States, for instance, Australian wine effectively doubled in price overnight, pricing many producers out and leaving the market dominated by large-scale brands.
What followed wasn’t a collapse of quality, but a narrowing of perception. Australia became shorthand for a handful of styles and producers, a reduction that obscured the breadth of what was happening on the ground.
ASI: Does Australia need to redefine its image today?
Not necessarily, and perhaps more importantly, not collectively. For younger consumers, there often isn’t a fixed perception to dismantle. In many cases, there’s simply a lack of awareness.
That creates an opportunity. Rather than rebuilding “Brand Australia”, the more compelling path is fragmentation, a Burgundy-like understanding of place, producer and nuance. The challenge is communicating that complexity without losing accessibility.
ASI: Australia came out to the world with ‘in your face’ Shiraz and bold buttery Chardonnay as its flag bearers. Was there and is there a risk in leaning too heavily on a single identity?
JL: Absolutely. Those models can be commercially successful, but they often limit a country’s ability to move upmarket. They create clarity, but at the cost of depth.
Australia’s current direction appears more cautious. Rather than rallying around one grape or style, producers are increasingly focused on-site expression and suitability, asking not what sells, but what works.
ASI: How does that translate into what’s happening in the vineyard?
JL: One of the most striking developments is the embrace of varietal diversity, not as a trend but as a response to site. Classic producers are experimenting with Nebbiolo, Fiano, and Nero d’Avola, for example, not to chase fashion, but to better match grape to place.
This has the side effect of making Australia one of the most stylistically diverse wine countries in the world. It complicates the narrative, certainly, but it also aligns with how fine wine is increasingly understood through specificity rather than generalisation.
ASI: Does volume still matter, or is the focus shifting toward value and perception?
JL: It’s both. Australia remains a major producer with stakeholders across the spectrum, from boutique wineries to large-scale operations. But there’s a growing recognition that high-end credibility lifts the entire category.
Many premium producers could sell everything domestically, yet they choose to export, often at lower margins, to reshape global perception. It’s a long game, and one driven as much by identity as by economics.
ASI: Are domestic consumers playing a larger role in that shift?
JL: They have to. Australia’s internal market is relatively small, but increasingly important. There’s a push to encourage Australians to embrace their own wines more fully, particularly at the premium level.
Interestingly, some of the resistance mirrors what we see in other markets as most fine wine lists are dominated by Europe, with Australian wines relegated to a few iconic names. Changing that requires both advocacy and exposure.
ASI: What’s actually moving the needle in terms of international acceptance?
JL: People such as sommeliers, retailers, and buyers who are willing to put Australian wines in front of consumers and let them speak for themselves.
When that happens, the response is often immediate. The wines overdeliver at their price points, particularly in categories like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, where global benchmarks have become prohibitively expensive. The barrier isn’t quality; it’s familiarity.
ASI: Has style evolution played a role in overcoming older perceptions of Australian wine?
JL: Definitely. There’s still a lingering association with high-alcohol, heavily extracted styles, but it no longer reflects the reality.
Today’s Australian wines often align closely with global preferences: freshness, balance, moderate alcohol, and precision. The irony is that many consumers simply don’t realise this shift has already happened.
ASI: Where is Australia innovating beyond traditional wine styles?
JL: In several directions. Non-alcoholic wine is one. Some of the most convincing examples are coming out of Australia. Packaging is another, with thoughtful formats that maintain quality while expanding accessibility.
What’s notable is that these innovations aren’t about diluting wine culture, but extending it, making it more flexible without compromising integrity.
ASI: Looking ahead, which regions or styles best capture ‘Australia 2.0’?
JL: Two stand out immediately: Grenache and Chardonnay.
Grenache, in particular, is undergoing a quiet revolution with fresher, more aromatic, more nuanced expressions that rival the best in the world. Chardonnay, meanwhile, has achieved remarkable consistency across a wide range of regions, from Tasmania to Margaret River.
But perhaps the broader answer is this: whatever the style, Australia is now approaching it with intention, precision and a clear sense of place.
ASI: So what is Australia 2.0, ultimately?
JL: It’s not a slogan. It’s a shift from simplification to complexity, from volume to value, from uniformity to nuance.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s a reminder that the most interesting wine countries are not those that define themselves too tightly — but those that leave room to evolve.
