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| Australia – An Unparalleled Success Story Australia, once known as a nation of beer drinkers, has joined the ranks of leading wine-producing countries. Few other countries have seen their exports grow as explosively in recent years as Australia. And just as few countries have experienced such a spectacular expansion of their vineyards as Australia. As is the case almost everywhere in the New World, this rise is a recent phenomenon. After all, well into the post-World War II era, production consisted mainly of alcoholic and/or sweet wines. Not that the country lacked any wine history. On the contrary, thanks to the many immigrants from European wine-producing countries such as Italy and Germany, Australia has had a wine-growing tradition for over a century. It’s just that very few had heard of finesse. The style of Australian wines has since changed radically. The keyword now is fruit—or rather, grape fruit. Technique and Terroir What all Australian producers have in common is that they have access to perfectly ripened fruit—even in the relatively cool regions—and that their technical expertise is of the highest caliber. So much so that numerous Australians have gone to work in many countries—as far as France—as a sort of development workers. They were called “flying winemakers,” a term that is now a fixture of international wine jargon. You almost never come across a bad wine in Australia. Australian winemakers are masters of the art of blending, but the days when anything and everything was mixed together to create a generic wine with no specific origin are over. Terroir has gained in importance, and variety has come to be preferred over uniformity. Wine Production Concentrated in Southeast The lion’s share of Australian wines comes from three states: New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Together, these three states fall under the umbrella of “Southeastern Australia,” with the city of Adelaide serving as the national wine capital. High-quality individual wine regions include: Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, and Coonawarra—known for its red terra rossa soil in South Australia; Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria; and Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Western Australia, in the Perth area—literally and figuratively a world apart, several thousand kilometers away from the southeast—is a story unto itself. The place to look out for here is Margaret River. Personal accent In addition to Shiraz, Australia also produces a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon. And here, too, the top wines possess tremendous power and depth. A blend of these two varieties is, by the way, a classic Australian style, with plenty of fruit. Another interesting Australian wine is Pinot Noir. In a country known for its warm climate, you might not expect that. However, Australia has several regions where it isn’t nearly as warm, and where temperatures are more reminiscent of those in a European region like Burgundy. And that’s exactly what Pinot Noir needs. Among the white grapes, Chardonnay holds a prominent place. Australian Chardonnay was once synonymous with rich, tropical, and oaky flavors—intense, so to speak. The trend now, however, is toward more acidity and minerality, less alcohol, and more integrated oak. Among the white grape varieties planted, some stand out as rather unusual: Semillon (without an accent on the “e”) and Riesling. Both are used to make both dry and noble sweet wines, often of surprisingly fine quality and with an equally surprising aging potential. Until recently, Sauvignon Blanc was available only sparingly in Australia, but that is beginning to change. A specialty from the past is the liqueur-like dessert wines made from Muscat grapes. It has a super-intense flavor and is perfect for those with a sweet tooth. |