Australia Flashcards
When did vines arrive in Australia? Who brought them?
- The “First Fleet”. 11 ships departed from Portsmuth, England and settled in Botany Bay and Sydney. Comprised of military, sailors, cooks, and masons (almost 700 were former convicts).
What result did the Australian gold rush have on Australian wine? When happened when the gold rush ended?
Immigration of European free settlers. Improved the expertise in wine making and helped to spread the vine around the southeast of Australia. When the gold rush ended, it caused a division between hyper-local and export driven wineries.
Which two major wine producers were founded in the 1840s? Who are they now owned by?
Lindemans (est 1843), Penfolds (est 1844). Owned by Treasury Wine.
How has Australia controlled phylloxera? Where is it confined to?
Government created quarantine zones: Phylloxera Infestation Zone (PIZ), Phylloxera Exclusion Zone (PEZ), Phylloxera Risk Zone (PRZ). Victoria has 4 PIZ, NSW has 2 PIZ.
What is the predominant state for Australian wine production? What was it’s predecessor?
South Australia (produces 51% of Australia’s wine). Preceded by Victoria, which was wiped out by phylloxera.
What style of wine was popular in Australia from post-phylloxera until the 1960s? Where and why?
Sweet fortified wines. Murray, Darling, Murrumbidgee Rivers: warm areas that were cultivated through irrigation.
What event helped develop the British and US taste for Australian wine?
WWII. Australia was the key exporter of wine to the British and supplied the US Army with wine during the beer shortage.
What packaging technology was invented by the Australians?
Bag-in-box. They were also early adopters of the Stelvin closure.
What city is the heart of Australian wine education and technology? What are the prominent organizations?
Adelaide: Australian Wine Research, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), University of Adelaide
What winemaking practice is not permitted in Australia?
Chaptalization
Which two regions account for 50% of Australia’s wine production?
Riverland (South Australia), Riverina (NSW)
What method is central to the winemaking philosophy of Australian winemaking?
Blending
What are two examples of older Australian producer cult wines? What are two examples of newer producer cult wines?
Older: Penfolds Grange, Yalumba “Octavius”. Newer: Clarendon Hills “Astralis”, Torbreck “Run Rig”
Why does Australia have some of the oldest vines in the world? How old are they?
Control of phylloxera. Some vine are over 150 years old and on their own rootstock.
What organization maintains oversight for the wine industry in Australia? When were they established?
Australia Wine and Brandy Corporation. Est 1981.
What are the minimums for variety, vintage, and region in Australia?
85%
What is the geographical naming system used in Australia?
Geographical Indication (GI)
What are the categories of Australian wine areas from broadest to smallest?
Multi-state zone, State, zone, region, sub-region
What is the multi-state zone? When was it established, and what regions are encompassed?
South Eastern Australia. 1996. All of Victoria, Tasmania, NSW; plus the wine growing areas of Queensland and South Australia
What are the primary white varieties of Western Australia?
Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc (Semillon and SB are often blended)
What are the primary red varieties of Western Australia?
Cabernet Sauvignon and BDX varieties
What are the five zones of Western Australia from the coast going inland?
Coastal: West Australian South East Coastal South West Australia Greater Perth Inland: Central Western Australia Eastern Plains, Inland & North of Western Australia
Which zones of Western Australia have regions?
Greater Perth
South West Australia
What are the regions of the Greater Perth zone?
Peel
Perth Hills
Swan District
What is the sub-region of Swan District?
Swan Valley
What is the hottest GI in Australia?
Swan Valley
What are the regions of the South West Australia zone?
Margaret River Geographe Blackwood Valley Manjimup Pemberton Great Southern
Who are the “first five” of the Margaret River?
Leeuwin Estate, Cullen, Cape Mentelle, Vasse Felix, Moss Wood
What are the sub-regions of the Great Southern region?
Denmark GI Albany GI Porongurup GI Frankland River GI Mount Barker GI
Who are the “top producers” in the Margaret River?
Cullen, Vasse Felix, Leeuwin Estate and Cape Mentelle
Which zones are part of the Adelaide Superzone from the coast inland?
Barossa, Fleurieu, Mount Lofty Ranges
What are the regions of the Barossa zone?
Barossa Valley
Eden Valley
Where is High Eden located?
Sub-region at the highest elevation of the Eden Valley region, in the Lofty Mountain zone, in the state of South Australia
What are the regions of the Fleurieu zone?
McLaren Vale GI Langhorne Creek GI Currency Creek GI Kangaroo Island GI Southern Fleurieu GI
What are the regions of the Mount Lofty Ranges zone?
Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Plains
Clare Valley
Where is McLaren Vale GI located?
On the coast of the Gulf St Vincent, within the Fleurieu zone, in the Adelaide Super Zone, in the state of South Australia
What is the body of water at the center of the Adelaide Superzone?
Gulf St Vincent
What are the sub-regions of the Adelaide Hills?
Picadilly Valley
Lenswood
What is the furthest north zone of the South Australia GIs?
Far North
Which regions is overlaps from the Far North zone into the Mount Lofty Ranges?
Southern Flinders Ranges
What is the southernmost zone in South Australia?
Limestone Coast
What is the major body of water along the coast of South Australia?
Great Australia Bight, part of the Southern Ocean
Which region of the Limestone Coast is adjacent to the coast?
Mount Benson
What are the regions of the Limestone Coast?
Coonawarra GI Padthaway GI Mount Benson GI Robe GI Wrattonbully GI Mount Gambier GI
Where is Coonawarra located?
Coonawarra is a region adjacent to the state of Victoria, within the Limestone Coast zone, in the state of South Australia
What are the zones of the South Australia GI?
Far North The Peninsulas Mount Lofty Ranges Barossa Lower Murray Fleurieu Limestone Coast Adelaide Superzone
What is the climate of Coonawarra? What is it’s most famous varietal?
Cool, maritime. Cabernet Sauvignon.
What is the prominent soil type of Coonawarra?
Terra Rossa
What is Terra Rossa?
From Italian “red rock”. Clay/ silt topsoil with good drainage, which is decomposed from and overlays limestone and dolomitic bedrock.
What are the predominant varieties of McLaren Vale?
Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhône Varieties, Mourvedre
What is the Australian synonym for Mourvedre?
Mataro
What varieties and styles are common to the Adelaide Hills GI?
Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir. Still and sparkling wine.
Barossa Valley GI
-the “top” GI for Shiraz in Australia
-home of 150 year old vines
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What are hogsheads?
300L American oak barrels
What is the most famous wine from Eden Valley?
Henschke’s “Hill of Grace”
What is the mountain range that runs through New South Wales? What is it’s effect?
The Great Dividing Range. Rain shadow effect, leaving the inland NSW very dry and arid.
What is the irrigation area of the arid western portion of New South Wales?
Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
What is the largest wine production GI in NSW?
Riverina
Who produces Yellow Tail wine?
Casella
What is the famous sweet wine of Riverina? What style is it?
“Noble One” by De Bortoli. Botryisized Semillon.
What is the climate of Hunter?
Sub-tropical, with high humidity and strong wind.
Where is Hunter located?
The Hunter region is the southern half of the Hunter Valley zone, within the state of New South Wales.
What percentage of Hunter wine production is white?
60%
What is a synonym for “Hunter Riesling”?
Semillon
What is the most famous wine from Hunter?
Tyrrell’s “Vat 1”
What is the mountain range adjacent to the Hunter Valley region?
Brokenback Mountains
What variety is Broke Fordwich notable for?
Old vine Verdelho.
Where is Canberra located?
Canberra is an inland region of the Southern NSW zone, in the state of New South Wales
What notable producer is located in Canberra? What style of wine do they produce?
Clonakilla. Syrah/ Viognier co-ferment.
What is the climate type of Tumbarumba? What styles of wine are produced?
Cool, alpine. In the foothills of the Snowy Mountians. Still and sparkling from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
What are the zones of New South Wales from the coast moving inland?
Coastal: -Northern Rivers -Hunter Valley -South Coast Foothills: -Northern Slopes -Central Ranges -Southern NSW Western (dessert): -Western Plains -Big Rivers
What are the regions of the Big Rivers zone?
Regions: Murray Darling GI Perricoota GI Riverina GI Swan Hill GI
What are the regions of the Central Ranges zone?
Regions:
Cowra GI
Mudgee GI
Orange GI
What are the regions of the Hunter Valley zone?
Regions: Hunter Valley (unofficially split into Upper and Lower Hunter) Sub-regions: Upper Hunter Valley GI Pokolbin GI Broke Fordwich GI
What are the regions of the Southern NSW zone?
Regions: Canberra District GI Gundagai GI Hilltops GI Tumbarumba GI
