Australia Breakdown Flashcards
The Growing Environment and Grape Growing
From the 1950s onwards, many of the companies that dominate the Australian wine scene today began their rise to prominence. the second half of the 1980s, however, that the Australian wine industry shifted its focus to the export market
The vineyards are mainly confined to the south-eastern corner of the country in the states of Southern Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, with a further cluster in Western Australia. Most of these vineyards lie between 30° and 37°S (the equivalent of North Africa and Southern Europe in the Northern Hemisphere), benefitting from the intense sunlight typical of such low latitudes. Although there are some vineyards in Queensland to the north, the island of Tasmania to the south is the notable exception, lying between 41° and 42°S (corresponding to Porto and central Italy).
Australia is a relatively flat country and often there is little to stop the cooling influence of the oceans spreading some distance inland. There are, however, some mountain ranges, most notably the Great Dividing Range which runs from Queensland to western Victoria and creates a barrier protecting many of south-eastern Australia’s vineyards from the tropical weather systems which come in from the Pacific Ocean to the northeast. The regions in its rain shadow
there is wide variety of soil types and some regions are well-known for their distinctive soils, such as Coonawarra’s terra rossa.
One of the main threats is the lack of water. The vast majority of vineyards rely on irrigation to ensure even ripening and protect quality, even in the wetter areas due to the free-draining soils. Another issue is soil salinity. Bush Fires, smoke taint. The main natural pests are birds and kangaroos.
Grape Varieties and Winemaking
In 2018, Australia was the seventh largest producer of wine, though depending on the vintage it can compete with Argentina and Chile for fifth or sixth position. Australian viticulture is heavily mechanised, helped by wide vine spacing and the fact that most vineyards are on flat or gently sloping land.
Shiraz - From hotter regions, such as Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, it is usually full-bodied. Shiraz from cooler regions, such as Yarra Valley and Grampians, tends to be less full-bodied with medium alcohol
Chardonnay - found in almost every region.
Cabernet Sauvignon - Two of the leading regions for Australian
Cabernet Sauvignon are Coonawarra, with its distinctive mint or eucalyptus aromas, and Margaret River, where Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended with Merlot and the style is slightly riper with more subtle herbal notes.
Merlot -
Sauv blanc - in cooler climate regions for mid-priced wines, but also in hotter regions with higher yields for inexpensive wines. Australian Sauvignon Blancs tend to be less herbaceous than those from Marlborough, particularly from Adelaide Hills which has developed a reputation for producing some of Australia’s best examples. In Margaret River, Sauvignon Blanc is mainly blended with Semillon to produce a Bordeaux-style blend
Pinot gris - wines are labeled ‘grigio’ or ‘gris’ to reflect style. Some of the finest wines labelled as Pinot Gris come from Victoria, in particular from Mornington Peninsula, and from Tasmania.
Muscat Gordo blanco - (Muscat of Alexandria) and Colombard are grown in the hot, inland regions of Riverland, Murray-Darling and Riverina, Colombard is generally used as a neutral, cheap blending partner with more widely known grape varieties, such as Chardonnay, in expensive wines.
Semillon - Most notable is the low alcohol, high acidity, unoaked style produced in the Hunter Valley. The Barossa Valley has traditionally produced fuller- bodied Semillon with higher alcohol and flavours from oak maturation; however, these tend not be as age worthy as those from Hunter Valley. noble rot on some sites in the Riverina of New South Wales.
Pinot Noir - is widely grown in cool and moderate regions such as Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Tasmania.
Grenache - 1% of fruit. for blends of single varieties.
Riesling - the Clare and Eden Valleys but increasingly Great Southern, Canberra and Tasmania, have established a reputation for producing excellent Riesling. mostly bone dry with high acidity.
Black grape varieties made up 54 per cent of the harvested fruit
Wine Laws and Regulations
Australia’s system of GIs:
Zones - no requirements for shared geographic or climatic characteristics. Zones can cover an entire state (such as in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia) and one, South Eastern Australia, covers several
Regions - Sixty-three have been registered: examples include Coonawarra, Clare Valley and Margaret River. Regions vary in size but must have consistent and distinct qualities. A region must usually produce at least 500 tonnes of grapes a year across at least five differently owned vineyards each of at least 5 ha. Note that the state of Tasmania is treated as a region rather than a zone
Sub-regions - created to recognise areas with particular climates, topography or soils. Currently, only 14 sub-regions have been registered
This hierarchy gives producers a range of labelling options
Labeling Integrity Program (LIP): if a GI, vintage or grape variety is mentioned on the label, 85 per cent of the grapes must conform. If multiple varieties are mentioned, they must be listed in descending order of how much they contribute to the blend
South Eastern Australia Zone
covers the whole of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, along with the south-eastern corners of South Australia and Queensland. It was created to allow blending from grapes grown across the zone and the majority of wines labelled as such are inexpensive, high-volume wines.
Most of the grapes used in these wines come from the Murray–Darling Basin (Riverland, Murray-Darling, and Rivernia). climate in these regions is hot and continental, although the rivers provide a slight cooling influence.
In the rain shadow of the Great Dividing Range, rainfall is very low (as little as 135mm during the growing season in Riverland, which is a little less hot). predominantly sandy soils, means irrigation is essential. Water is provided by the rivers but, during recent droughts, river levels have fallen alarmingly low in some places. Significant increases in water prices, coupled with falling grape prices, have pushed some growers out of business.
The main grapes grown are Shiraz and Chardonnay, as well as Semillon in Riverina (quality). Griffith in Riverina has a long-established reputation for producing sweet, botrytised Semillon
South Australia
South Australia is the largest wine-producing state by volume, producing approximately 50 per cent of the total weight of harvested fruit. vineyards are concentrated in the south-eastern corner close to the coast. range of styles from fresh white wines such as Clare Valley Riesling and Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc to some of Australia’s most concentrated, full-bodied reds from the Barossa Valley.
The South Australia Zone covers the whole vineyard area in the state and also forms part of the South East Australia Zone. There are eight smaller zones, of which the best-known are Barossa, Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu and the Limestone Coast. The Lower Murray zone contains the Riverland region. The hierarchy of zones gives producers the option of blending grapes from different regions.
Barossa Zone - two regions: Barossa Valley, mainly covering the flat valley floor, and Eden Valley, covering the hills to the east. Black varieties make up the vast majority of production with Shiraz comfortably the dominant variety.
Barossa Valley - Its sheltered location gives Barossa Valley a warm climate with hot, sunny summer days but cooler nights. Rainfall is relatively low during the growing season (around 160 mm), making irrigation necessary in most years but also meaning that disease pressure is low. Most of the vineyards lie on the plain between 250 and 370m above sea level and offer ideal conditions for the production of ripe, full- bodied red wines. Barossa Valley’s signature variety is Shiraz and accounted for 66 per cent. The second most planted variety is Cabernet Sauvignon. It does better in the slightly cooler, higher sites but the style is still richer and riper than in, for example, Coonawarra or Margaret River with softer tannins and higher alcohol. White varieties made up 9 per cent - chardonnay, semillon.
Eden Valley - is not really a valley at all, but rather an area of rolling, exposed hills. It forms part of the Mount Lofty Ranges and, in some places, the gradient can be steep enough to limit mechanisation. Vineyards stretch up to over 600m above sea level and their climate becomes cooler with altitude. Rainfall levels are higher than in the Barossa Valley (around 230mm in the growing season). There is a wide variety of soil types but most have good water-holding capacity. This, with slightly higher rainfall, means dry farming is much more common than in the Barossa Valley. Eden Valley produces almost equal amounts of white and red wine. Riesling is the most planted variety, making up over one third of plantings. The most planted black variety is Shiraz. Compared to the Barossa Valley, Shiraz from the Eden Valley tends to have higher acidity, more structured tannins, and lower alcohol.
Mount Lofty Ranges Zone - this zone includes two important regions: Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley.
Adelaide Hills - The climate is cool to moderate with temperatures varying due to altitude (the vineyards are mainly planted between 400 and 500 m. characterised by valleys and steep hillsides, which restrict mechanisation in many vineyards. At higher altitudes in the centre of the region, temperatures are cooler for earlier ripening varieties, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This central area is home to two sub-regions, Piccadilly Valley and Lenswood. White varieties made up 64 per cent of the total harvested fruit weight in 2019 with Sauvignon Blanc making up 28 per cent of that total alone. The most planted black variety is Pinot Noir
Claire Valley - Clare Valley forms the northernmost part of the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Victoria
New South Wales
Tasmania
Western Australia
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