Australia Flashcards
What percent of the Australian wine market does sparkling wine represent? What is this amount in annual liters?
Less than 6%, equaling 69 million liters
What percentage of Australian sparkling wines is consumed locally? What percentage is exported?
78% domestic
22% export
What is the trend in exported Australian sparkling wine?
Rising, indicating increased demand
What are the principal styles of Australian sparkling wines? What grapes are used?
All sparkling styles can be found, including a small amount of Pet Nat. Common grapes include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier, Glera, Moscato, and Syrah (Shiraz).
What regions of Australia are typical production areas for sparkling wine? Are these regions warm or cool?
Tasmania, Yarra Valley, Adelaide, and the alpine regions of Victoria and New South Wales. These are cooler sites.
Warmer sites such as Barossa Valley are needed ripen Syrah for sparkling wine production.
Which Australian region is leading in the production of high quality traditional method wines?
Tasmania
When does Tasmania’s history of sparkling wine production begin? How much of its wine grape production is put to sparkling wine?
Sparkling wine began to emerge there in mid-1980s following a partnership between Champagne Louis Roederer and Heemskerk.
30% of wine grapes are used in sparkling wine production.
What are the important sparkling wine producing zones of Tasmania? How do they compare to each other and generally?
Tamar Valley - on the north coast, protected from Southern Ocean winds, warmer than Piper River and harvests about two weeks earlier
Piper’s River - north coast, cooler than Tamar Valley
Southern Tasmania - the coolest on the Tasmanian Island, cooler than Champagne but with higher sunlight intensity (some valleys are sheltered and can be he warmest sites on the island, e.g. Coal Valley)
Are larger sparkling wine producers in Tasmania able to produce wines exclusively from a subzone?
No. They must source grapes from around the island to ensure they have enough volume, balance, and quality in their wines.
Where is Coal Valley located in Australia? What is its significance in terms of climate?
Southern Tasmania. It is sheltered from the Southern Ocean and has some of the warmest temperatures in Tasmania despite its latitude.
What are the risks to the grapes used in premium Australian sparkling wine production?
Spring frosts and high rainfall are the main issues, though coulure and botrytis can also be problematic
Where are the grapes for inexpensive Australian sparkling wine grown? How are they typically labelled?
Riverland, Riverina, and Murray-Darling
They are usually labelled “South Eastern Australia”
What proportion of Australia’s sparkling wine market is comprised of inexpensive sparkling wine?
The vast majority
What vineyard management and harvest techniques are necessary to produce grapes in Riverland, Riverina, and Murray-Darling?
Irrigation, mechanized harvest, and high yields.
How do the prices of sparkling wine grapes from South Eastern Australia compare to those from cooler Australian climates? Why?
Prices of grapes from Riverland, Riverina, and Murray-Darling are about 1/4 the price of grapes from cooler sites. The yields are between 2-3 times greater in those regions.
What climates are best suited for the production of sparkling Syrah in Australia? Why?
Warm climates. Syrah must ripen fully in order to have desirable richness and intensity.
Compared to Syrah used in still wine production, when are Syrah grapes for sparkling wine production in Australia picked?
They are both picked at the same time
Which Australian regions are capable of producing quality Syrah for sparkling wine?
Any warm region, though Central Victoria, Barossa Valley, and McLaren Vale are especially suited for it.
What types of yields can one expect from Syrah used in Australian sparkling wine? What price ranges do these yields equate to?
High yields tend to produce inexpensive wines.
Moderate yields are used in premium and above priced wines
What styles of traditional method wines are produced in Australia?
A range of styles from dry to sweet that includes non-vintage, vintage, prestige cuvée, and rosé
What is the standard for lees contact in Australian traditional method wines?
No legal nor formal standard, though most quality minded producers see Champagne as an example.
A significant number of the best Australian sparkling wine producers use extended (3+ years) aging as standard