Australia Flashcards
Is Australia in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere?
When does its vineyard cycle (budburst) start and when does it end (harvest)?
Southern Hemisphere
Vineyard cycle starts in September/October and harvest is in March/April.
What is the overarching climate of Australia?
Warm to hot
There are zones and sub-zones where the climate can be Maritime, Mediterranean, and Subtropical.
Australia is situated in fairly northern latitudes of the southern hemisphere, making overall conditions in the country’s growing regions mostly dry, and quite warm to hot – like much of California.
With summers being so dry, there can be an increased risk of what?
An increased risk of fires, which can affect the grapes with smoke taint should fires blaze before or around veraison.
Is irrigation allowed in Australia?
Yes
Irrigation is essential due to low rainfall.
What are the bodies of water surrounding Australia?
- Indian Ocean to the west;
- Southern Ocean to the south;
- Tasman Sea separating Australia and New Zealand
A region’s warmth can be tempered if it is proximal to one of these bodies of water.
What is the hierarchy of Australian wine growing areas (GIs)?
From largest to smallest:
Zones: large areas which can cover a state or several states with similar climatic conditions (e.g. Limestone Coast zone).
Regions: smaller in size than zones, but wines must demonstrate consistent and recognizable traits that differ from nearby regions (e.g. Margaret River, Clare Valley).
Subregions: smallest in size, these areas must have distinct traits and be within one region (e.g. Polish Hill River subregion within Clare Valley).
What is the most planted red grape of Australia?
And the most planted white grape?
- Shiraz (most planted of either color)
- Chardonnay
According to Wine Australia, ~146,000ha in Australia are under vine as of 2019.
Select which style of Shiraz matches with a hotter region and which style matches with a cooler region:
- full bodied and intensely fruity
- lean, peppery
Give an example of a hot region and a cool region.
Hot region: full bodied and intensely fruity
-
Hunter Valley, Barossa Valley
Cool region: lean, peppery - Geelong, Heathcote
What are some broadstroke differences between Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and Australian Shiraz?
Aussie Cabernet is often darker in color with firmer tannin, higher acidity, and blacker fruit characteristics (black currant, black plum, black cherry).
Aussie Shiraz tends to have softer tannin, redder fruits, and peppery notes.
Name 2 classic regions in Australia known for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Hint: Mr.C loves Cab Sauv
Margaret River and Coonawarra
The best examples of Australian Pinot Noir come from:
- warm to hot sites
- cool to moderate sites
- northern region
Give an example of an Australian region known for its Pinot Noirs.
Cool to moderate sites
- Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania
Pinot Noirs from these regions will be medium across the tasting grid: M body, M tannin, M/+ acid
What do some Australians call the Mourvèdre grape?
Mataro
What sun-loving, late-ripening red grape is well suited for Australia’s warmth?
Hint: think Southern Rhône or Priorat.
Grenache
Describe the differences between everyday Australian Chardonnay and high-quality Australian Chardonnay (where they come from and what style to expect from each).
Everyday
* blended from various regions
* can be unoaked or oaked (using chips/staves)
High Quality
* from cool to moderate regions
* well balanced and integrated thanks to thoughtful use of lees aging, malolactic fermentation, and/or barrel maturation
Give two examples of Australian regions known for their high-quality Chardonnays.
Hint: Pair Australian Chardonnay with Yamm
- Yarra Valley
- Adelaide Hills
- Mornington Peninsula
- Margaret River
Which Australian wine region is known to produce benchmark Sauvignon Blanc?
Adelaide Hills
passion fruit, high acid
What is the classic Australian region for Semillon
Hunter Valley
What is the profile of a classic, young Hunter Valley Semillon?
Harvested early
Light body
Low sugar levels
High acid
Low alcohol
Minimum oxygen contact
Neutral flavors
What is the profile of a classic, young Australian Riesling?
Very citrusy (especially lime)
Unoaked
High acid
Dry to barely off-dry
Classic (and exceptional!) Rieslings are known to be grown in these two South Australian GIs.
Hint: The C of E serves great Aussie Riesling
Clare Valley and Eden Valley
The South Eastern Australia super-zone covers what areas?
This vast super-zone covers the whole of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, along with the southeastern corners of South Australia and Queensland.
Are wines labeled South East Australia are known to be:
- high volume brands made from blended fruit producing inexpensive wines
or
- small-production brands made from single-site fruit producing exceptional wines
High volume brands made from blended fruit producing inexpensive wine
Which heavily irrigated, Australian GIs are major sources of grapes for big brands?
Murray-Darling in Victoria
Riverina in New South Wales
Riverland in South Australia
MR.R buys in bulk
What 6 regions in South Australia do you need to know?
Hint: In South Australia they bend it like BECCAM
Barossa Valley
Eden Valley
Clare Valley
Coonawarra
Adelaide Hills
McLaren Vale
South Australia produces approximately how much of Australia’s total annual production?:
- very little
- the majority
- all of it
The majority
If a wine comes from the Barossa Zone, what appellation does it take?
What are the 2 regions in Barossa Zone?
Barossa
- Barossa Valley
- Eden Valley
What is the difference between a wine labeled ‘Barossa’ and ‘Barossa Valley’?
If a wine is labeled with its GI as ‘Barossa’, it means the grapes came from both Barossa Valley and Eden Valley.
If a wine is labeled with its GI as ‘Barossa Valley’, it means the grapes came just from Barossa Valley.
The heart of fine wine production in South Australia is ________ Valley.
Barossa Valley
What is the climate of Barossa Valley?
Warm and Dry
What are the red grapes that come from Barossa Valley?
Shiraz
Cabernet Sauvignon
Grenache
Old Bush vines produce excellent wines
What is the profile of a classic Barossa Valley Shiraz?
Usually full bodied, soft tannins and ripe black fruit
Eden Valley is to the ________ of Barossa Valley, and Clare Valley is to the ________ of Barossa Valley.
Which of these (Clare and Eden) has a cool to moderate climate, and which has a warm climate?
Eden Valley is to the East.
Clare Valley is to the North.
Eden Valley is cool to moderate due to the altitude of the region. Clare Valley is warm, but has cool afternoon breezes and cold nights. Also planted at altitude.
Eden Valley is best known for which grape?
What other grapes are grown successfully there?
Most renown grape is Riesling with intense lime and grapefruit aromas and steely character.
Also grown are:
Shiraz
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon.
Although Clare Valley is warm, its nights are cold.
How does Clare Valley get so cool, and what does that mean for the wines grown there?
Afternoon breezes and the high altitude of vineyards, most are 300-400m above sea level. Some are 570m above sea level.
Wines grown here have high acidity and good balance, they are capable of aging well in bottle.
Riesling will be dry with high acidity and intense citrus and lime flavour.Honey and toast flavours develop with age.
Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon are also grown in well balanced style with good aging potential
What is the climate of Adelaide Hills?
When does it typically rain there?
Moderate climate, all vineyards are planted at altitude (400m+)
Rainfall occurs in Winter, but the soil has poor water retention.
What grapes are most often found growing in Adelaide Hills GI?
Sauvignon Blanc
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are often blended to create a sparkling wine
All vineyards in Adelaide Hills are planted above ________m in altitude.
400
Where is McLaren Vale in relation to Adelaide?
What is the climate like in McLaren Vale?
West of Adelaide Hills but south of Adelaide itself.
Warm climate, but tempered by ocean breezes in the afternoon.
What style of wine dominates McLaren Vale?
Red wine.
Intensely dark fruit in flavour with soft ripe tannins. Made from:
Shiraz
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Grenache
Name the region in the southeastern corner of South Australia that has a moderate maritime climate and is influenced by cold currents sweeping up from the Antarctic.
Coonawarra
What makes the soil in Coonawarra so distinctive?
What grape grows well here and what special characteristic does it have?
It is red in colour due to its terra rossa soil that covers a limestone subsoil.
Cabernet Sauvignon grows well here with unique Cassis, Eucalyptus or Menthol aromas
What is the coolest state on Australia’s mainland?
Victoria
Why does Victoria have some of the coolest vineyards on the mainland?
Wine regions around Melbourne (South Oz) and Port Phillip Bay are cooled by ocean breezes.
Inland, the Great Dividing Range provides a range of altitudes to reduce the heat.
Wine regions around Melbourne, particularly Yarra Valley, get cool enough to grow these grapes to make this style of wine.
Pinot Noir
Rich in fruit (strawberries, plum, dark cherries) with ripe, soft tannins and ocassionally lightly oaked.
Good sparkling wine is also found here. Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon also grows well
What 5 regions in Victoria do you need to know?
Hint: Victoria, Gee m.y. ghoul. Heath?
Yarra Valley
Mornington Peninsula
Geelong
Heathcote
Goulburn Valley
Name two inland, high-altitude regions in Victoria known for making aromatic, stylish wines.
What are the grapes grown here?
Heathcote and the upper Goulburn Valley
Heathcote: Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon
Goulburn: Shiraz and Marsanne
Sangiovese and Tempranillo have also shown promise in Heathcote
Where is Yarra Valley in relation to Melbourne?
North-East of Melbourne
What is the overall climate of Yarra Valley?
Cool to Moderate Maritime
What is the specialty grape of Yarra Valley?
Pinot Noir
While Yarra Valley has a sweeping cool to moderate maritime climate, it has a range of elevations and aspects.
What does this mean for the style of Yarra Valley wines?
Wines maintain acidity well meaning they are very age-worthy.
Where is Mornington Peninsula in relation to Melbourne?
South
What is the climate of Mornington Peninsula?
Cool-Moderate Maritime climate
Mornington Peninsula is known for these two grapes
Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Think Burgundy
Geelong:
* where is it?
* what is its climate?
* major grapes planted?
- West of Melbourne
- Like Mornington Peninsula it is Cool-Moderate Maritime
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz
Heathcote:
* where is it
* how does it get cool
* what is its climate
* major grapes planted
- At the centre of Victoria
- It is cooled by the altitude
- Moderate Climate
- Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon
Sangiovese and Tempranillo have also shown promise in Heathcote
Goulburn Valley:
* where is it
* warmer or cooler than Heathcote
* how is it cooled
* major grapes planted
- East of Heathcote in central Victoria
- Warmer than Heathcote
- Cooled by the creeks and lakes of the Goulburn River
- Shiraz (red) Marsanne (white)
New South Wales’ most important GI is ______.
What grape is this GI known for?
Hunter Valley
Semillion is the most widely planted grape with distinctive light body, low abv, high acid and neutral flavours that develop into toast nut and honey.
Chardonnay and Shiraz are also grown
Hunter Valley is:
* hot + humid?
* moderate + dry?
* cool + windy?
Hot and Humid
If Hunter Valley is so hot + humid, what allows the region to be hospitable to viticulture?
High cloud cover and ocean breezes temper the heat at the peak of summer
Good canopy management is essential to prevent rot though
What are the GIs in New South Wales that have slightly cooler conditions to Hunter Valley?
What makes them slightly cooler?
Mudgee, Orange and Cowra
Their altitude thanks to the Great Dividing Range help cool vineyard sites here
Concentrated Chardonnays and structured Cabernet Sauvignon grow here
What is Hunter Valley’s weather threat?
Unsettled rainy weather at harvest creating humid conditions ripe for grape rot
Besides Semillon, what two other grapes have major plantings in Hunter Valley?
Chardonnay - oaked and unoaked in style
and
Shiraz - Black fruit, soft tannins medium body and earthy undertones
Which Australian state does not supply grapes or juice for South Eastern Australia GI?
Western Australia
What coastal winemaking region is roughly 200km south of Perth and has a warm Mediterranean climate?
Margaret River
What are the white grapes in Margaret River GI?
Chardonnay - concentrated tropical and stone fruit notes with high acidity. Oak aging and MLC used to add complexity
Sauvignon Blanc widely planted but often blended with Semillon
What red grape is Margaret River best known for?
Cabernet Sauvignon - made in a range of styles from elegant and restrained to fruity and powerful
Often blended with Merlot, Bordeaux style
What are the nested regions of the Great Southern region?
Mount Baker and Frankland River
known for deep coloured Cab Sauv, elegant + peppery Shiraz, and floral Riesling
What is the climate of Tasmania?
What helps keep it cool?
Cool Maritime.
Prevailing Westerly winds from the Southern Ocean which prevent extremes of temperature
What are the principal grapes grown on Tasmania?
Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Gris
Cab Sauv (in the warmest, driest regions)
Between Tasmania’s cool climate and its plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, what style of wine is it well poised to make?
Excellent still wines and sparkling wines
What is the name of the body of water that separates Tasmania from the mainland?
The Bass Strait
What is The Great Dividing Range?
A large mountain range in South Eastern edge of Australia
