Australia Flashcards
What variety is Australia most famous for?
What are other varieties popular in Australia?
Full bodied Shiraz;
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Mataro (Mourvèdre)
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Semillon
What is the land mass like?
Similar to USA; diverse range of climates
What are the main growing regions climates?
Warm or hot;
This is due to altitude
Name the cool regions
Victoria; cool vineyard locations
Tasmania; cool maritime
Name the warm regions
Western Australia:
o Margaret River; warm maritime
South Australia:
o Clare Valley; cool, afternoon breezes, cold nights
o Barossa Valley; warm, dry
o McLaren Vale; afternoon breezes
VIC:
o Goulburn Valley; warm
Name the hot regions
Hunter Valley; hot humid
NSW, above Sydney
Mitigated by high cloud
Regions climate tbc
o Riverland, South Australia (high volume, blends)
o Murray-Darling, Vic (high volume blends)
o Riverina, NSW (botrytised Sémillon, high volume blends)
o Great Southern Regions: Mount Barker, Frankland (Cab Sauv, Shiraz, Riesling)
What helps temper regions?
Proximity to either the
Southern or Indian Ocean, or
Murray River Southern
What are vineyard considerations
Rainfall low; drought significant problem.
Irrigation during growing season essential.
Dry conditions may cause bush fires; damage or destroy; smoke contact causes pungent taint in wines
What climates are generally sought by Australian grapegrowers?
Cool or moderate
Where have plantings increased?
High-altitude climates on mainland;
Tasmania which has more southerly altitude
What are the main black grape varieties?
Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Petit Verdot, Mataro (Mourvèdre), Sangivese, Tempranillo
What are the main white grape varieties?
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling
Where is Australia’s ‘Super Zone’?
Cover’s all GI’s in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland
Name some of the main regions in the Super Zone
Riverland (SA)
Murray-Darling (VIC)
Riverina (NSW);
regions provide high yields of healthy grapes but need blending in from Barossa, Adelaide Hills or McLaren Vale to enhance grapes that lack flavour concentraton.
What does the wine laws hierarchy include?
GI’s, incorporating zones, regions and sub-regions
What are Zones?
Large areas, no qualifying attributes.
Can be sates (i.e. South Australia);
or cover several states (i.e. South Eastern Australia).
Can also make up part of a state.
Rarely seen on labels, with exception of Barossa.
What are Regions?
Vary in size; smaller than zones.
Must have consistent and distinct qualities from neighbouring regions.
I.e. Coonawarra, Clare Valley, Margaret River
What are sub-regions?
Many regions that are split into sub-regions; if there are notable areas that have distinct and unique qualities.
Must fall within one region; some regions covered by several zones.
Gives producers variety of options for blending.
I.e. Eden Valley region in Barossa Zone, which is in South Australia Zone, which is in South Eastern Australian Zone.
Where is Riverina and what does Riverina specialise in?
New South Wales;
Botrytised Semillon
Autumn morning mists and fogs help noble rot
What are the main regions in South Australia?
Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra
Where are the majority of Australia’s wines produced?
South Australia Zone
Describe Barossa Valley
South Australia, its most prestigious growing area, known for its fine wine production
Warm, dry climate;
Old bush vines: outstanding Shiraz, Cab Sav, Grenache
Classic Shiraz: full-bodied, soft tannin, ripe k fruit, American oak; leather and spice as ages
Semillon: unoaked style
Labelled Barossa; fruit can be from Barossa Valley and Eden Valley
Near Adelaide, Phylloxera hasn’t yet infected vineyard soils in Barossa, which means it’s home to some of the oldest living vineyards in the world.
Describe Eden Valley
South Australia
Cool to moderate climate; varies with altitude
Outstanding Riesling in cooler; lime, grapefruit, steely, best have longevity of marmalade and toast after 10 years
Shiraz, Chardonnay and Cab Sav
Describe Clare Valley
South Australia
Warm climate; cool afternoon breezes, cold nights. High alt vineyards.
Rieslings in dry style; citrus and lime, high acidity, bottle age honey and toast
Shiraz, Cab Sav; best have long cellaring potential
Describe McLaren Vale
South Australia, on coast, afternoon breezes temper warm climate
Shiraz, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Grenache: intense flavour, dark fruit aromas, soft ripe tannins;
some old vine Shiraz and Grenache - adds depth and complexity
Describe Coonawarra
South Australia; narrow strip of land (1.5kmwx15kml)
Cold currents from Antarctic; maritime climate, moderate, cloud cover moderates summer temps
Distinctive red terra rossa soil over limestone subsoil
Cab Sauv dominates: concentrated, structured, cassis, eucalyptus/menthol aromas, the best age well.
Shiraz, Merlot, Chardonnay
What is the largest wine production region?
South Australia
What are the major wine regions by volume?
The three major wine regions in Australia by shear volume are South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.
South Australia and New South Wales are known for their warmer climate varieties such as Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon whereas Victoria is known for cool climate-loving Pinot Noir.
Describe Adelaide
is the hub of the largest wine growing region in Australia, near Barorssa
What to seek in South Australia
Old Vine Shiraz: smoky and rich with spice.
Famous producers in the area include Penfolds, Elderton and Rockford.
GSM: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre –The major blending grapes used in French Southern Rhone wines.
What is the principle grape variety grown in most regions?
Shiraz (Syrah)
What are Shiraz wines like when grown in hot or warm regions?
I.e. Hunter Valley, or Barossa Valley
Full-bodied, intense fruit, earthy or spicy notes, leather as age
What are Shiraz wines like when grown in cooler regions?
I.e. Geelong or Heathcote
Leaner, more peppery; combined in multi-regional blends
Used to give softness and body to blends with Cab Sav; same as Merlot does in Bordeaux blends
What are Cabernet Sauvignons like
Generally darker than Shiraz; firmer tannins, higher acidity, ripe black fruits, toasty oak
What are some classic Cab Sauv regions?
Coonawarra, Margaret River
What are Merlots like?
Often used in blends to ad body and fruit
What are Pinot Noirs like?
Medium bodied, Medium alcohol, medium-high acidity, typical flavours of cherry and strawberry
Where are PN’s best grown
Cool or moderate climates
Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania
What are some hot region varieties?
Grenache, Petit Verdot, Mourvèdre (Mataro)
Why are Sanviovese and Tempranillo gaining popularity in Australia?
Well adapted to high summer temperatures and limited water supply
What is the most planted white grape?
Chardonnay
Made in a range of styles, grown throughout regions
Name the cool to moderate regions
South Australia
Eden Valley; cool to moderate varies w/ altitude
Adelaide Hills; (Adelaide Hills and Eden Valley, SE Oz, in NSW); moderate but cooled by altitude
VIC:
Mornington Peninsula; cool to moderate, maritime
Yarra Valley; cool to moderate maritime
Geelong; cool to moderate, maritime
Name the moderate regions
VIC:
Heathcote; moderate
Coonawarra; moderate maritime (Limestone coast)
What is Barossa Valley famous for?
Shiraz:
Full-bodied, high tannins, oak=spice, jammy black fruits, chocolate
Where is the majority of wine production?
South Australia:
Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Riverland
What is Coonawarra soil like?
Terra Rossa soil, in the Limestone Coast; adds a minty/eucalyptus quality
What is Riverina known for?
Botrytised Semillon
What are the main regions in South Australia?
Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Riverland (?)
What are the main regions in Victoria?
Geelong, Yarra Valley, Goulburn Valley, Heathcote, Mornington Peninsula, Rutherglen (?)
What are the main regions in New South Wales?
Hunter Valley, Riverina (?)
What does the Murray-Darling River do?
Cools and moderates hot temperatures
Describe Hunter Valley Semillion
High quality, early harvest, inert
What are the main regions of Western Australia?
Margaret River;
Great Southern regions with sub-regions of: Mount Barker, Frankland River known for Cab Sav, Shiraz and Riesling
Describe Tasmania climate
Cool, maritime
Westerly wines from Southern Ocean help cool; generally free from extremes
What are Tasmania’s principle varieties?
PN, Chard, SB, Pinot Gris, Cab Sauv
Started as prime source of base wins for sparklings
Describe Australian Chards
Made in a range of styles, most planted white variety in Oz in all regions
Can be oaked;
or unoaked; to keep peachy notes
Basic Oz Chard usually a blend from different regions
Cool to moderate regions: Adelaide Hills, Mornington Pen, Yarra Valley
Warm regions: Margaret River: balanced, fresh fruit, subtle oak, lees and/or MLF
Describe Australian SB’s
Popular in domestic and exports; high demand
Adelaide Hills now benchmark for quality (moderate climate)
Concentrated passion fruit, high acidity
Describe Australian Semillions
Widely planted; used to make distinct wines in unique styles: pronounced citrus aromas and flavours; lime, lemon grapefruit;
turn to toast, honey, petrol with age;
usually dry or slightly off-dry; some roses
Classic region is Hunter valley (hot climate)
Early harvest, low sugar, high acidity
minimum oxygen;
inert vessels for fermentation and storage
low alcohol
neutral flavours when first bottled; can develop honey, toast w/ bottle age
Best wines can age for 20+ yrs
Often mistaken for SB in Western Oz as more herbaceous;
Barossa Valley traditionally full-bodied, soft; now early picked, unoaked styles becoming popular
Describe Hunter Valley
Hot humid climate; moderated by high cloud cover and ocean breezes.
Rainy weather at harvest can be issue; good canopy management can reduce rot risk
Semillion specialty here; harvested early when acidity high but sugar low, wine is light body, low alcohol, high acidity, neutral flavours - develop nut, honey, toast with age
Chardonnay - oaked and unoaked
Syrah - medium body, soft tannins, black fruits, earthy undertones
