Plus it's incredibly rare for a rugby player to make the headlines for bad behaviour or shagging some other woman.

haha. You my friend have not lived in Australia!

just a quick google search makes for some interesting reading: http://www.google.com/search?q=australia+rugby+player+sex+scandal&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=&oe=

I think you missed the point here. This isn't about how good or bad a wine is, it's about protecting a regional product. Chablis should not have the monopoly on Chablis-type wine? Why not? I don't see why an ozzie producer would call his Chardonnay a Chablis anyway. I'm French (with Family from Burgundy) living in Australia and I believe that most typical ozzie wines have little in common with Burgundy wines. It's not a question of quality: as your friend pointed out, the Australians make some stunning wine, it's simply a question of climate and soil. As other posters have commented: I hope that this will encourage Australian wine-makers to create their own appellations.

I second this. A wine-freak friend of mine gave me the following advice when I started getting into wine a while ago: if you're not sure if you should get the $5 or the $50 bottle at your local wine outlet, get both. taste them side by side. If you can't make any noticeable difference in quality then yes by all means stick with the $5 bottle! There's certainly no shame in that!

What on earth does that have to do with big bonuses?

Hi Sven, I just browsed your site but could not find a contact link. I'd like to ask you what provider you are using? I've only ust moved to Sydney from Europe. I understand you're in Melbourne but would like to know none-the-less. Telstra and Optus offers have left me unconvnced so far. I've looked into TPG also which is the best I've found so far after my summary search.