(SMH) - IT MAY be among the worst of times for Australian wines, but the industry has decided to take the long view and ditch the cheap and cheerful image to reinvent itself as purveyor of a premium product. For five picking seasons, Australia has not had a decent wine tasting event in San Francisco. But a little over a week ago, Wine Australia hosted a ''packed'' event in the city. With the bite of a high dollar tearing flesh from the export market and fierce competition from growers and makers across the Tasman after a grape glut, the Australian wine industry is being forced to take a new direction away from the now-flailing model favoured by Casella Wines through its Yellow Tail label.