39 - Australia

Question 1

Australia’s land mass is similar to United States - true or false

Answer 1

true

Question 2

True/false: Australian wine regions have a warm or hot climate.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

What a significant risk of Australia’s dry and hot climate?

Answer 3

bush fires. Even if vineyard is not destroyed, the smoke from fires can taint grapes

Question 4

What are moderating factors of Australia’s warm/hot climate?

Answer 4

proximity to Southern or Indian Ocean or Murray river can moderate temperatures
Some regions like Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills are cooled by altitude
sites with more southerly latitude like Tasmania have cooler climate (Australia is in southern hemisphere so sites further south are further away from equator and therefore cooler)

Question 5

What is Australia’s principal grape? Where is it grown, and what are the characteristics of wine it produces?

Answer 5

Shiraz

Warm/hot regions (Barossa Valley/Hunter Valley): full-bodied, fruity, earthy, spicy -> leather with age.

cooler regions (Geelong, Heathcote): leaner, peppery style.

sometimes Shiraz from warm/hot regions blended with that of cooler region to create multi-regional blend with both qualities.

Question 6

True/False: Shiraz is sometimes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to lend softness/body

Answer 6

True. It performs similar role to Merlot in Bordeaux

Question 7

What are characteristics of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon?

Answer 7

darker than Shiraz
firmer tannins
higher acidity than Shiraz

ripe black fruit (blackcurrant, black cherry)
toasty oak

Question 8

What are classic regions for Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia?

Answer 8

Coonawarra and Margaret River

Question 9

True/False: Merlot in Australia is typically produced as a varietal wine

Answer 9

False. Merlot is usually found in blends alongside Cabernet to provide body and plummy fruit.

Question 10

which wine regions in Australia are cool enough to grow Pinot Noir successfully? What is the style of Pinot Noir made here?

Answer 10

Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Tasmania

medium-bodied, medium alcohol, medium to high acidity, cherry and strawberry

Question 11

Which grapes are particularly well-suited to Australia’s hot regions?

Answer 11

late-ripening varieties:
Grenache, Petit Verdot, Mourvedre (called Mataro in AUS)

well adapted to hot temps and limited water:
Sangiovese and Tempranillo

Question 12

What is the most planted white grape in Australia? What differentiates basic versions from more high-quality examples

Answer 12

Chardonnay

basic Chardonnay:
blend from different regions
unoaked and peachy, or with oak staves/chips to add toast, vanilla

high-quality Chardonnay from cool to moerate regions (Adelaide Hills, Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley) or warm regions (Margaret River) - vibrant fruit and subtle lees/MLF/oak.

Question 13

Where is a classic region for Sauvignon Blanc?

Answer 13

Adelaide Hills - benchmark of Sauvignon Blanc. Moderate climate is well-suited for Sauvignon Blanc.
concentrated passion fruit, high acidity

Question 14

What is the classic variety of Hunter Valley? how is this variety produced in other regions?

Answer 14

Semillon.
Harvested early. Low sugar, high acid.
light alcohol, develop honey and toast with age. Best of these can age for 20+ years.
usually protected from oxygen and fermented/stored in stainless steel

Western Australia: more herbaceous style similar to Sauvignon Blanc
Barossa Valley: Semillon fuller-bodied, softer traditionally made.

Question 15

What is characteristic of Riesling made in Australia?

Answer 15

pronounced citrus, develops toast, honey, petrol with age.
unoaked, with high levels of acidity
dry or slightly off-dry, sometimes sweet

Question 16

What is the classification system used under Australian wine laws?

Answer 16

Zones - large areas that can be states or cover several states.
Regions - are smaller areas, they must have consistent, distinct qualities from neighboring regions
sub-regions - subdivisions of region that have distinct unique qualities.

Question 17

What is characteristic of wines produced from the South Eastern Australia Zone?

Answer 17

majority of wines labelled with this indication are high volume brands. they source from Riverland, Murray-Darling, and Riverina - all regions that produce high yieldss.

Question 18

True/False: the majority of Australia’s wine is produced in South Australia?

Answer 18

True

Question 19

What are the important regions of South Australia?

Answer 19

Barossa Valley: heartland of fine wine production. Warm and dry. Old Bush vines that produce Shiraz, Cabernet, and Grenache. notable also for Semillon that is increasingly made fresh, unoaked style.
Wine labelled Barossa comes from Barossa zone (can be sourced from Barossa and Eden Valleys)
Eden Valley: in the hills to the east of Barossa Valley. Cool to moderate climate. OUtstnading Riesling made in cooler vineyards (lime, grapefruit, steely->marmalade and toast with age). Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet also successful.
Clare Valley: Riesling is specialty here. northwest of Barossa Valley. warm climate. many vineyards planted at high altitude. Dry in style, with intense citrus and lime, and high acid.
Also Clare Valley makes Shiraz - fragrant, powerful, structured. Also excellent Cabernet.
Adelaide Hills: moderate climate. All vineyards planted 400 meters at altitude. Irrigation often necessary because soils do not hold water well. Refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, elegant Chardonay with high acidity and citrus and peach. Pinot Noir grown.
McLaren Vale: on the coast of Southern Ocean, south of Adelaide. Afternoon breezes from ocean moderate warm climate. Mainly red wines from Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot, Grenache. Dark fruit, soft, ripe tannin
Coonawarra: known for terra rossa soil covering limestone subsoil. Receives cooling currents from Antarctic. moderate maritime. Cloud cover moderates summer temperatures. Cabernet dominates here and is made into concentrated, structured wines with cassis, eucalyptus or menthol aromas. Shiraz, merlot, Chardonnay also planted.

Question 20

What are the climate characteristics of Victoria?

Answer 20

Victoria has some of coolest vineyards in Australia. ocean breezes give cooler conditions that enable Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wine grapes to e grown. Further inland - mountain ranges give altitudes and aspects that enable elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, aromatic Riesling and Sauvignong Blanc. Lower slopes grow later-ripening black varieties like Shiraz and Cabernet.

Question 21

What are the regions in Victoria?

Answer 21

Yarra Valley: cool to moderate and maritime climate. varied region, with wide range of altitude and aspect. Pinot Noir is specialty along with sparkling wines.
Mornington Peninsula: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are specialties. South of melbourne. Cool to moderate, martiime climate because it is coastal. Vintages can vary due to weather. Pinot Noir ranges from light to more structured but mostly pure fruit. Chardonnay here reflects cool conditions - high acid that is softened by MLF.
Geelong - lies west of Melbourne. similar climatic conditions to mornington Peninsula (cool). Known for Chardonnay, complex and full bodied. Pinot Noir and Shiraz major red grapes.
Heathcote - located in center of Victoria. Much further inland than Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Geelong. Cooling influences from altitude not ocean. Moderate climate. Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet widely planted.

Goulburn Valley: east of Heathcote, also inland. Warm. Shiraz most planted. Marsanne is the specialty.

Question 22

What is the main region of New South Wales? What is its climate and characteristics?

Answer 22

Hunter Valley
hot, humid climate. moderated by high cloud cover and ocean breezes.
Canopy management necessary to minimize rot, which can occur when rainy weather interferes with harvest.

Most planted grape: Semillon (the wine I’ve had). light bodied, low alcohol, high acidity that develop toast, nut, honey with age.
Chardonnay and Shiraz also planted.

Question 23

What are the wine regions of Western Australia?

Answer 23

These are the only wines not part of South Eastern Australia super-zone.

Margaret River is renowned. Coastal and has warm maritime climate. Rainfall is high, falls mainly in winter.
Main varieties: Cabernet (often blended w Merlot in Bordeaux-style). Chardonnay and Sauvignon planted. Sauvignon is blended with Semillon ->gooseberry, tropical, high acid

Great Southern region: area to south - the sub-regions here known for deeply-colored Cabernet Sauvignon, elegant peppery Shiraz and floral Riesling

Question 24

What is the climate of Tasmania? What wine is it known for making?

Answer 24

cool, maritime.
cooled by westerly winds off the Southern Ocean.
prime source base wine for sparkling wine, but also capable of excellent still wines from Pinot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, sometimes Cabernet (can ripen in warmest driest areas).