16. Australia

Question 1

What percentage of total wine crush is made up by sparkling wine? How many litres?

Answer 1

Less than 6%

66 million litres (18-19)

Question 2

What is the domestic to export split?

Answer 2

80 domestic 20 export

Question 3

What kind of styles are made in Australia?

Answer 3

Almost all styles.

Key styles include TM from classic Champagne varieties, Tank method Prosecco, Moscato, Sparkling Shiraz and Pet-nat

Question 4

What regions are most important for sparkling?

Answer 4

Tasmania, Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills, Alpine Victoria and NSW

Question 5

What is the Tasmanian wine production like?

Answer 5

Small in volume, but successful in terms of quality.. Sparkling makes up for 40% of total production.

Question 6

What is the difference between Piper’s Brook and Tamar Valley?

Answer 6

Tamar valley is much warmer than Piper’s, as it is sheltered from the Southern ocean. It harvests two weeks earlier.

Question 7

What regions in Tasmania are cooler?

Answer 7

The Southern regions, with the exception of Coal River (which is why it makes nice Pinot Noir)

Question 8

How are the cool regions of Tasmania able to ripen grapes?

Answer 8

Sunlight intensity is higher than Champagne because of it’s far southern latitude.

Question 9

What are the main climatic challenges for growing in Tasmania?

Answer 9

Spring frost and high rainfall.

Coulure in the early season, botrytis in the late season

Question 10

Where is large volume sparkling wine grown?

Answer 10

South Eastern Australia - Riverland, Murray-Darling - which accounts for the vast majority of Australian sparkling wine

Question 11

What kind of viticultural practices are common in South Eastern Australia?

Answer 11

Irrigation
Mechanisation
High yields
Early picks

Question 12

What is different about grapes grown for sparkling Shiraz?

Answer 12

Grown in warmer climates like McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley.
Picked at full ripeness, the same as for still wine

Question 13

What kind of regulations are in place for Traditional Method sparkling in Australia?

Answer 13

Quality producers look to Champagne for processes, but are not restricted by it’s rules.

Question 14

What category is emerging as popular in TM?

Answer 14

Late disgorged - with more than six years on lees, as led by Arras and Jansz

Question 15

Where do Tasmanian producers make their wines?

Answer 15

Larger producers will press on Tasmania, and then transport to the mainland for production.

Question 16

What is the general style for a quality TM sparkling from Australia?

Answer 16

Medium+ to high acid
Medium alcohol
Med- to med+ body & intensity

Question 17

What method is used for Sparkling Shiraz?

Answer 17

High quality producers use Traditional method.

Others can use Tank, Transfer or carbonation.

Question 18

What are the typical characteristics of sparkling Shiraz?

Answer 18

med- to med acid
med to high alcohol
med ripe, soft tannins
20g/L RS
med to full bodied
med to pronounced intensity

Question 19

What is the importance of Moscato in the Australian sparkling wine market?

Answer 19

Growing in importance domestically. Particularly pink moscato.

Question 20

When was the first Australian Prosecco released? By whom?

When did Italy change the name of the name of the PDO to Prosecco?

Answer 20

2004 by Dal Zotto

Italy changed the name in 2009.

Question 21

What is the general method of production for Australian Prosecco, and what quality level is most common?

Answer 21

Tank method, generally good to very good quality as it is made mostly by small producers with a focus on quality.

Question 22

What has been one of the outcomes of the success of Tasmanian sparkling in regards to business structure?

Answer 22

Lots of the smaller wineries from Tasmania have been bought by large companies. Eg Accolade (Bay of Fires/House of Arras) and Brown Brothers (Tamar Ridge)

Question 23

What percentage of Australian domestic wine consumption by volume is Australian sparkling?

Answer 23

11% which is considerable

Question 24

What areas of the Australian sparkling market are growing, and which areas are declining?

Answer 24

Prosecco, followed by Moscato and then Pet-Nat are growing.

There is a decline in Sparkling Shiraz