THE AUSTRALIAN ARK – Federation to the Modern Era | 1900–1982
reports of Australian wine being smuggled into Britain and sold on the black market through private cellars. Even though the news of wanting more wine seemed promising, the wine trade with Britain was extremely problematic because of prohibitive duties. Former war correspondent Alan Moorhead, while visiting Australia in 1946, also criticised the poor quality of Australian wine in England and warned Australian wine producers against becoming complacent. ‘The present reputation of Australian wine in Britain is nil’, he wrote. Meanwhile, both Australia and South Africa were in perpetual discussions with the British chancellor of the exchequer (treasury) to reduce duties, but it was like banging a head against a brick wall. Still, wine quotas were increased from 7,000 to 9,000 tons. . . . The lead-up to Christmas 1946 saw a shortage of hogsheads (66-imperial- gallon/300-litre casks), bottles, and labour. It was described in a December 1946 article in the Sydney Sun as ‘the 8th wartime Christmas for housewives’. Rationing and supply shortages were still a massive challenge for the British government. Uncontrolled food was expensive and controlled staples were scarce. In Australia, rationing ended in 1950, but Britain’s wartime rationing did not finish until 1954. Still, whilst black market racketeering was rife, the system of rationing, which fixed prices for essential commodities, also had the effect of curbing inflation. In August 1946, seven thousand hogsheads of Australian wine – ‘representative of all Australian vignerons with an export licence’ – were shipped to England on the newly commissioned Glasgow-built MV Rhexenor from Port Adelaide to Britain for the Christmas trade, a shipment equivalent to three million bottles. But optimism was short-lived. Shortages were everywhere. Gas and electricity supplies were frequently cut. Bottle manufacturers were unable to keep up with demand. Four million gallons of ‘Christmas Wine’ from around the world, typically shipped in barrels, were, according to the Tweed Daily , 30th of November 1946, ‘lying in bond under Customs seal because of a bottleneck in bottles’. Although stocks were sufficient to meet the demand, the wine trade warned the public that ‘thousands of would-be purchasers won’t find wines this Christmas unless the public helps to meet new wine in old bottles’. Over one million gallons had, in actual fact, arrived in time for Christmas. During the years 1946–1947, Australian wine exports reached 2,042,000 gallons. Racketeers were enjoying bountiful times because of these shortages. Newspaper journalist Trevor Smith, in his ‘London Roundup’, wrote, ‘If you’re dreaming of a black Christmas, you can buy unidentified whisky at 75 shillings a bottle. This compares to 25/9 shillings a bottle, which, for those able to remember, was the price
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