18. Australia, New Zealand Flashcards
What is the name of the major mountain chain that runs parallel to the southeastern coast of Australia, from Melbourne to Brisbane?
Great Dividing Range
What are the top four white grapes grown in Australia?
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Gris
What are the top four red grapes grown in Australia?
Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir
What is the hierarchy of Australia’s GIs?
Multi State, State, Zone, Region, SubRegion
In Australia, both vintage date and single grape variety notations require that ____% of the grapes in the wine be source from the designated area or the year.
85%
True or False: In Australia, Zones are within state boundaries.
True
Can wine regions overlap in Australia?
No
What are sweet, dessert wines known as in Australia?
Stickies
What is the name of the largest multistate GI of Australia?
Southeast Australia. Southeast Australia includes New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, parts of South Australia and part of Queensland.
What is the name of the large GI that covers most of the commercial grape growing areas of Australia?
Southeast Australia
Which wine growing region is missing from the Southeast Australia GI?
Western Australia
What are the six key GIs of South Australia?
Clare Valley
Eden Valley
Barossa Valley
McLaren Vale
Coonawarra
Riverland.
Approximately half of the quality wine produced in Australia is from South Australia.
Which GIs of South Australia are known for their Reisling?
Clare Valley, Eden Valley
What is the most widely grown grape of Clare Valley?
Shiraz. (Though it is known more for its dry Reisling.)
What kind of wine is the Barossa Valley known for?
Powerful reds made from Shiraz.
What is the climate of the McLaren Vale?
Mediterreanean
Which area is part of Australia’s limestone coast?
Coonawarra
Describe the soils of Coonawarra.
Bright red soils, known as terra Rosa, over a limestone base. This area is noted for producing distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon.
What type of wine is Coonawarra most noted for?
Cabernet Sauvignon.
Which South Australia GI borders Victoria, flowing right into the Murray Darling Area?
Riverland
Which of the South Australia GIs are noted for volume, with most big brands having a presence here?
Riverland
Which state is Sydney in?
New South Wales
What is the climate of Hunter Valley?
Hot, humid. Benefits from cooling sea breezes.
Which wine region is due north of Sydney?
Hunter Valley
What kind of wine is Hunter Valley most known for?
Semillon - sometimes referred o as Hunter Riesling or Hunter Honey.
What is the wine region due west of Hunter Valley?
Mudgee
What grape is sometimes referred to as Hunter Riesling?
Semillon
True or False: Mudgee is inland from Hunter Valley and is therefore a warmer growing region.
True and False. Mudgee is inland from Hunter Valley however it is on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range and benefits from the cooling effects of elevation.
Which wine region in Australia was the first to produce Chardonnay on a meaningful scale?
Mudgee (though it focuses more on deep, powerful reds from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz)
Which two rivers provide the means for irrigation in the Riverina Region?
Murray and Murrimbidgee
Which region in New South Wales is key for the production of bulk wines?
Riverina
True or False: Riverina is noted for its botrytized Semillon.
True
What are the five key regions of Victoria?
Yarra Valley
Mornington Peninsula
Heathcote
Murray Darling
Rutherglen
Which key city is Yarra Valley near?
Melbourne
Which two grapes account for 75% of total production of the Yarra Valley?
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
What is the climate of Mornington Peninsula?
Maritime
Is Yarra Valley coastal?
No, the only coastal region of Victoria is Mornington Peninsula.
Which Victoria wine region is closest to the northern border with New South Wales?
Rutherglen. This area, being the most inland, has a hot, continental climate. The area is best known for Rutherglen Muscat, a sweet fortified wine.
Which Australian regions are noted for sweet wines?
Riverina (botrytis Semillon), Rutherglen (fortified wine)
What is the most widely planted grape in Mornington Peninsula (48% of total production)?
Pinot Noir
What is Brown Muscat?
Muscat Rouge a Petit Grains, used for sweet fortified wine in Rutherglen.
What is Topaque?
A sweet fortified wine made from Muscadelle in Rutherglen.
Describe the soils of Heathcote.
Calcium rich, volcanic greenstone - well suited to retain water (thus limiting the need for irrigation in this inland Victoria region).
What is Heathcote known for?
This Victoria wine region is best known for its premium Shiraz.
True or False: Murray Darling is a warm to hot region, atop an semi arid plane.
TRUE
Western Australia produces approximately what percentage of Australia’s total wine?
7%
What is the most notable region of Western Australia?
Margaret River
What type of wine is Margaret River most noted for?
White wines, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion blends.
What is the name of the region located on the southern coastline of Western Australia?
Great Southern
What are the key grapes of the Great Southern region?
Pinot Noir and Reisling in the coastal areas and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay in the warmer, inland regions.
Which wine growing region is located just north of the city of Perth?
Swan District. This is a warm to hot Mediterranean climate, benefiting from the cooling breezes of the Fremantle Doctor winds.
What is the Freemantle Doctor?
Cooling winds that stem from the Indian Ocean into Western Australia, most notable the Swan District.
What is the name of the cooling winds that come in from the Indian Ocean to the Swan District of Western Australia?
Freemantle Doctor
What is the leading grape of Tasmania?
Pinot Noir (though white grapes outnumber red grapes by a small margin across the island)
Tasmania is most noted for its ______________ wines.
Sparkling
Where is Queensland?
Northeast corner of Australia. Brisbane is the key city here.
Which Queensland GI shares a border with New South Wales?
Granite Belt GI (high elevation vineyards planted to Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Verdejo)
What is the northernmost GI in Australia?
South Burnett is the northern most wine growing region in Australia (part of Queensland).
Which states are Riverland, RIverina, and Rutherglen in?
Riverland: South Australia.
Riverina: New South Wales.
Rutherglen: Victoria
Where is the Mission Estate Winery in New Zealand? What is it known for?
Oldest winery in NZ, dating back to 1851. In Hawke’s Bay.
Why is New Zealand a cooler growing wine region than may be expected if looking just at its latitude?
The narrow nature of NZ results in significant cooling influences from the cold ocean waters surrounding it.
What is the primary topographic feature impacting wine growing in the South Island of New Zealand?
The Southern Alps
The Southern Alps create more favorable conditions on the eastern side of the range, partially blocking the winds that come in from the west.
Does the Southern Alps mountain range extend to both islands of NZ? Just the North? Just the South?
Just the South
But the North island has smaller mountains systems and volcanic mountains that offer much of the same effect of the Southern Alps for the South Island. (Protection from westerly winds, rain shadows, etc)
What are the four key red grapes for New Zealand?
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon
What are the four key white grapes for New Zealand?
Sauvignon Blanc
Chardonnay
Pinot Gris
Riesling
Roughly ____ % of New Zealand wine production is focused on white wine.
80%
Sauvignon Blanc accounts for 65% of total plantings in the country.
Sauvignon Blanc accounts for approximately ____% of total plantings in New Zealand.
65%
New Zealand wines are required to contain a minimum of ____% of a stated variety, vintage year, or region of origin if this info is to appear on the label.
85%
Which region accounts for 2/3 of New Zealand’s total wine production?
Malborough
South Island
68,700 acres under vine
What are the top two grapes of Malborough New Zealand?
Sauvignon Blank
Pinot Noir
Which New Zealand regions are noted for sparking wines?
Malborough
Gisborne
Where are the Cloudy Bay and Clifford Bay located?
Along the coast of Malborough
What are the three key subregions of Malborough?
Wairu Valley: known for stony, alluvial soils and a cool climate
Awatere Valley: cool, dry, windy
Southern Valleys: heavier, more clay based soils
Where is the Wairau Valley?
Malborough
Its known as one of New Zealand’s sunniest places. Stony, Alluvial soils.
What are the two largest wine regions in New Zealand production wise?
Malborough
Hawke’s Bay
Is Hawke’s Bay on the North or South island of New Zealand?
North
True or False: Hawke’s Bay is one of New Zealand’s warmer regions.
True
Where are the Gimblett Gravels?
Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
What kind of soil is the Gimblett Gravels area known for?
Mix of Greywacke and mineral/rocky fragments
What grapes are grown in Gimblett Gravels?
Bordeaux reds and Syrah
What wine region is located due north of Hawke’s Bay?
Gisborne
What area self proclaims to be the “Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand”?
Gisborne
What is the easternmost wine region in the world?
Gisborne
Gisborne is the first wine region to greet each new day.
Where is Wairarapa?
Southern end of New Zealand’s north island
Which grape accounts for 50%+ of the plantings of Wairarapa?
Pinot Noir
What kind of soil is Waitaki Valley/North Otago known for?
Limestone soils with loess and alluvial deposits
Is Waitaki Valley/North Otago a warm region or a cool region?
Cool region
Key grapes ar Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay
Where is the Central Otago wine region?
Southern end of the South Island
It is the most southern wine region in New Zealand cited in the text.
What is the highest elevation wine region of New Zealand?
Central Otago
What grape is Central Otago most known for?
Pinot Noir
Which subregion of the Canterbury region of New Zealand is most well known?
Waipara Valley
Gravel and Clay soils
Where is the Nelson region?
North Eastern tip of the south island of New Zealand
Known as one of the sunnier areas of New Zealand. Noted for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Riesling.