Australia Flashcards
What latitude ranges are the following, and what do they correspond to in the NH -
- Most Australian wine regions (minus some Queensland vineyards)
- Tasmania
30-37°S - North Africa and South Mediterranean
41-42°S - Porto and Central Italy
What area does the Great Dividing Range protect and from what?
South-east australia
Tropical weather systems coming from Pacific Ocean to the northeast
The regions in its rain-shadow get very low rainfall
Name the seven grape varieties that have the largest area under vine in Australia, in order of most planted
Shiraz Chardonnay Cab Sauv Merlot Sauvignon Blanc Pinot Gris Muscat Gordo Blanco (Semillon, Colombard, Pinot Noir and Riesling follow)
What name is often used for Mourvèdre in Australia?
Mataro
Where are Grenache old bush vines with high quality being recognised?
Mclaren Vale, Eden Vally & Barossa Valley
Which barrel styles are most suitable for ageing Australian Grenache?
Old and/or large oak
Expected style of Shiraz from Barossa Valley (and potentially McLaren Vale)
Tannins - high and soft
Alcohol - High
Body - Full
Pronounced ripe (or often cooked or dried) dark fruit with earth and spicy notes
Develop leather characteristics with age
Many aged in new american oak though more recently moving to french)
What are the 3 main wine-producing regions in the Murray Darling Basin?
Riverland (along the murray river in South Australia)
Murray-Darling (along both rivers falling between Victoria and NSW)
Riverina (on the Murrumbidgee River in NSW)
Climate in the Murray Darling basin? (and any climatic influence, topography, soil)
Hot and Continental
Rivers provide slight cooling influence
Rain shadow of great dividing range
Sandy soils (irrigation is necessary)
Why is Riverland a slightly cooler region?
Because there are no mountains between it and the coast (200km inland)
Expectation of Shiraz and Chardonnay from MDB
Medium Body High alcohol Relatively low in acidity Characterised by ripe fruit flavours (depending on price point, producers may blend in grapes from other grapes to add more complexity, flavour and balance)
What area is known for producing sweet, botrytised semillon?
Griffith in Riverina
How do areas such as Adelaide Hills and Margaret River combat need for irrigation and risk of drought?
They store the rainfall in dams until it is needed in the summer
Which regions store the rainfall in dams until it is needed in the summer
Adelaide Hills and Margaret River
Which regions use underground water sources to comat irrigation/risk of drought?
McLaren Vale and Coonawarra
Which divided canopy systems are used for new plantings to manage vigour and ensure vine balance?
Scott-Henry and Smart-Dyson
What are Scott-Henry and Smart-Dyson and what are they used for?
Divided canopy systems used for new plantings to manage vigour and ensure vine balance
What are the benefits of mechanical harvesting, and some reasons why it’s widely used in Australia?
Can cover a large area in a short time, meaning grapes can be delivered to the cool of the winery asap
Can harvest at night
Unit labour costs are high, some areas are remote,
Most of the vineyards are on flat or gently sloping land, enabling mechanisation
Why do some producers choose to harvest by hand?
To limit grape splitting/crushing
To allow greater selection of fruit during harvest
To maintain whole bunches
Why can soils become more saline over time?
There isn’t enough rainfall to carry away the salts deposited in irrigation water or because saline water in deeper aquifers may find it’s way to the surface
What is the risk of saline soils and how can you combat it?
They make it more difficult for the vine to get water it needs and leads to reduced vine growth and sometimes death
Selecting suitable rootstocks (e.g. based on V. berlandieri e.g. 1103P) that are tolerant of soils with high level of dissolved salt
Changing irrigation patterns to supply larger volumes of water at less frequent intervals
What is the expectation of Shiraz from Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale (for example)
Body - full
Alcohol - high
Tannins - high, soft
Pronounced dark fruit aromas with earthy and spicy notes
What is the expectation of Shiraz from cooler regions e.g. Yarra Valley and the Grampians
Less full bodied
Alcohol - Medium
Less intensely fruity, red and black cherry
Distinct black pepper
There is a trend for more approachable, less intense styles (shiraz). How would this be achieved?
Reducing the amount of extraction - using whole bunch fermentation
Reducing the levels of new oak
Very good and outstanding quality Shiraz -
Vessel and cap management?
Open fermentation tanks
Manual or mechanised punch downs for soft extraction of tannins
What does the Eden Valley form part of, and what does that mean for some sites?
The Mount Lofty Ranges
In some places the gradient can be steep enough to limit mechanisation
What altitude do the vineyards stretch to in Eden Valley
600m above sea level
climate becomes cooler with altitude
What are the risks of the high sites of the Eden valley?
They are exposed - rainfall higher at 230mm during the growing season
Wind can be strong enough to affect flowering and ripening
Why is dry farming common in Eden valley?
Wide variety of soil types but most have water-holding capacity
Slightly higher rainfall than e.g. Barossa Valley
What old vine plantings are Eden valley known for?
Shiraz, Riesling, Grenache
Expectation of Shiraz from Eden Valley?
Acid - high (higher than Barossa Valley)
Tannins - Structured (more so than Barossa Valley)
Alcohol - Lower than Barossa
Flavours sit between very ripe style of Barossa and the more peppery styles from cooler climates
Ripe but fresh plum and blackberry, sweet spice from Oak
Name 2 significant producers of Shiraz in Eden Valley
Henschke
Pewsey Vale
What is an ongoing and probably biggest threat when it comes to climate in Australia?
Drought
What are the 2 main natural pests in Australia, and what can be done to prevent them
Birds and Kangaroos
Netting for birds
No solution found for kangaroos as yet
Single varietal Cab Sauv in Australia - change with different climates but what do they all tend to have in common?
Higher acidity and tannins than Shiraz
Ripe black fruit aromas of blackcurrant and cherry
Tend to have oak characteristics
Which 2 regions are leading for Cab sauv production, and what are key indicators
Coonawarra - mint or eucalyptus aromas
Margaret River - often blended with merlot and style is riper with more subtle herbal notes
What is one of the hazardous risks of hot, dry summers and what does it result in?
Bush Fires
Damage to vineyards
Smoke taint
Which areas is phylloxera present in Australia?
Victoria and NSW
There tends to be low humidity in the vineyards in Australia, where are the exceptions to this and what basic principle needs to be employed in the vineyard?
Adelaide Hills
Southern Victoria
Hunter Valley
Parts of Tasmania
Open canopies necessary
What is the body of sustainable practices in Australia, and what % of the wine industry take part
Sustainable Winegrowing Australia
25% land owned
25% wine production
Single varietal Merlot is produced in a full range of styles - give 2 examples
Med body, med tannins, red fruit
Fuller bodied, riper black fruit
Where is Pinot Noir planted in Australia?
Cooler regions -
Yarra Valley
Mornington Peninsula
Tasmania
What is the expectation of Pinot Noir in Australia?
Medium Body
Medium Alcohol
Med-High Acid
Red fruit - cherry, strawberry
Talk through some winemaking options of Pinot Noir and what that results in?
Whole bunch = aromas
Cold Maceration = Enhance colour and flavours
Stem Inclusion = influence tannic structure
Maturation in french oak, new oak is reducing in use
Where is Grenache increasingly produced as single varietal?
Where there are old bush vines -
Barossa Valley
McLaren Vale
Eden Valley
What is the modern style for Grenache in Australia?
Freshness, higher acidity, slightly lower alcohol, fresher red fruit flavours,
Old / large oak
Where are the best examples of Sauvignon Blanc found in Australia, and what are the expected characteristics?
Adelaide Hills
Less herbaceous than NZ, citrus, tropical
Margaret River - blended with Semillon - Bordeaux style
Where would you find finer wines labelled Pinot Gris in Australia
Mornington Peninsula (Vic) Tasmania
Expectation of single varietal Semillon in Australia
Low alcohol, high acid, unoaked (Hunter Valley)
Gain great aromatic complexity with age
Barossa Valley = not as ageworthy, fuller bodied, higher ABV, oak influence
How many regions are registered in Australia?
63
How many sub-regions are registered in Australia?
14
According to the LIP, what % of grapes must conform if listing GI, vintage or variety on label?
85%
What is the LIP rule for listing multiple varieties on label
Must go in descending order of quantity (high to low)
Why do many producers blend Shiraz from Eden Valley and Barossa Valley in the Barossa Zone?
To combine intensity and body of Shiraz from warmer Barossa, and the elegance and higher acid of those from Eden Valley
Climate in Barossa valley and climatic protection?
Warm climate - hot, sunny summer days but cooler nights
Low hills to the west
Eden Valley regions to the east
Steeper parts of the mount lofty ranges (Adelaide Hills) to the south
Where are some of Barossa’s most age-worthy wines produced and soil type?
Northern part of the valley, ironstone layer in the soil prized for it’s water-retaining properties
Name the 2 important regions in the Mount Lofty Ranges Zone
Adelaide Hills
Clare Valley
What is Adelaide Hills characterised by (topography) and what does this mean in the vineyard?
Valleys and steep hillsides
Restricts mechanisation in many vineyards
Climate in Adelaide Hills
Cool - moderate, with temps varying due to Altitude
Maritime = 280-320 mm rainfall during growing season
Most planted black variety and expectation in Adelaide Hills?
Pinot Noir good-very good quality Medium (+) acid Medium body Medium alcohol Red fruit Range from delicate and floral to more spicy
