Australia & New Zealand Flashcards
Name the 6 main wine regions of Australia.
Western Australia South Australia New South Wales Tasmania Victoria Queensland
Which state of Australia annually produces 51% of the nation’s grapes and has most of the country’s largest wine groups are headquartered there?
South Australia
From the post-phylloxera period until the 1960s, approximately 80% of Australia’s production consisted of _____ wines.
sweet, fortified
Where is Adelaide?
South Australia
Is chaptalization allowed in Australia?
In which parts?
No, it is not allowed anywhere in Australia.
What is the blending philosophy of Australian winemakers?
How does this carry from the mass-market to the highest levels of quality?
They believe in regulating and assuring quality and brand consistency by blending over vast tracts of land, often spread over several states.
This holds true with some high-quality wines, such as Penfold’s Grange.
Why does Australia, even while being one of the newest countries, have some of the oldest vines in the world?
After the late 1800’s spread of Phylloxera, officials took strict and immediate measures to combat its spread, confining it to Victoria and a portion of New South Wales.
As a result, the other regions of Australia have some 150+ year old vines, planted on their own rootstocks.
Name 3 cult Australian Shiraz/Shiraz blends.
Penfold’s “Grange”
Henschke’s “Hill of Grace”
Yalumba’s “Octavius”
Name 2 more newly acclaimed Australian Shiraz/Shiraz blends.
Clarendon Hills’ “Astralis”
Torbreck’s “RunRig” Shiraz
Which Australian authority maintains oversight over the wine industry?
When was it established?
Wine Australia.
1981
How does harvest/release time differ for wines in the southern hemisphere?
It occurs 6 months earlier.
What problems have troubled the wine industry of Southeastern Australia?
In what years?
Severe droughts in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.
There was also a terrible series of brushfires in 2009, caused by the drought.
Where were the first Australian vineyards planted?
BONUS: In what year?
New South Wales
1788
What is the name of the mountain range that runs along the edge of Eastern Australia?
How does it affect the climate?
The Great Dividing Range
It separates the wetter, coastal portion of Eastern Australia from the more arid interior.
What are the wine regions of Australia called? (PGI, AVA, etc)
GI - Geographical Indication
Where is the Riverina wine region?
What is it known for?
What big producer sources much of their fruit from Riverina?
It is in Western New South Wales, Southeast Australia.
It is known for efficient, mass produced wine.
[yellowtail]
What is “Noble One”?
Who produces it, and where?
It is a botrytis-affected sweet wine made from Semillon.
It is made by De Bortoli, in the Riverina GI of Western New South Wales.
Name a top Hunter Valley Semillon.
Tyrrell’s “Vat 1,”
What is the climate like in Australia’s Hunter Valley?
subtropical, and one of the warmest climates in Australia.
This is mitigated by high amounts of humidity, rain, and wind.
Where is the Canberra District?
In the inland Southern New South Wales zone of Australia.
What is the name and producer of the fine Australian wine made from Shiraz co-fermented with a small percentage of Viognier?
Where is it made?
Clonakilla’s Canberra District Shiraz, Canberra District, New South Wales, Australia.
Which state of Australia is the smallest?
Which is the coolest?
Victoria is the smallest AND coolest state in mainland Australia.
Tasmania is the coolest overall.
Where is the Yarra Valley?
What are its two distinct soil types?
Australia, New South Wales, in South Central Victoria.
The soil is divided between grey-brown sandy loam and red basalt-derived soils.
How does the climate differ between coastal and inland regions of Victoria?
Coastal Victoria is cooled by sea breezes blowing up from Antarctica, and the Port Phillip zone surrounding the city of Melbourne has a cool maritime climate, experiencing winter average temperatures lower than Bordeaux or Burgundy.
The inland zones of North East Victoria, North West Victoria, and Central Victoria experience a more continental climate, typified by a large diurnal temperature shift.
Which two Australian GIs are shared between the regions of Victoria and New South Wales?
Murray Darling
Swan Hill
Which two subregions of Victoria are known for sweet wines?
Rutherglen
Glenrowan
Where is Rutherglen?
What wine is it known for?
It is in North East Victoria in Australia.
It is known for aged, fortified Brown Muscat (Muscat à Petits Grains Rouge) wines.
Where is Glenrowan?
What wine is it known for?
It is in North East Victoria in Australia.
Known for a fortified “Topaque” (formerly “Tokay”) style produced from Muscadelle grapes.
Where is Coonawarra?
What soil type is famously associated with the region?
It is in the South Eastern portion of South Australia.
Terra Rossa (Though it is not unique to the area.)
_____ produces what is often considered Australia’s best Cabernet Sauvignon.
Coonawarra
Name a famous wine from Coonawarra.
Parker Estate’s “First Growth.”
Where is the Riverland GI?
What kind of wine is it known for?
It is Northeast of the city of Adelaide, in South Australia
It is known for bulk wines.
Name a famous Australian Grenache, along with the region it is from.
Yangarra’s “High Sands”, South Australia, McLaren Vale
Where is the Hunter Valley?
What wine is it known for?
The Hunter Valley is in the New South Wales region of South Eastern Australia.
It is known for Semillon, or “Hunter Riesling” as it is called locally.
What subregion within Hunter is famous for its Verdelho plantings?
Broke Fordwich
Which Australian wine region is technically split between the state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory?
The Canberra District
Which zone is Australia’s most important region for premium Shiraz?
What mountain range surrounds it on 3 sides?
The Barossa Zone.
The Mount Lofty Ranges.
Where is the Clare Valley?
What wine is it known for?
It is in Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges.
It is known for its ageable Riesling.
Where is the Margaret River GI?
What wines is it known for?
It is in Australia, West Australia, South West Australia Zone.
It is known for Chardonnay, Semillon/Sauv Blanc Blends, and especially its elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style red blends.
Which region of Australia is known for its traditional method sparkling wines?
Tasmania
Which region of Australia has a climate similar to that of Champagne or the Rheingau?
Tasmania
Name the regions of New Zealand’s North Island from north to south.
Northland Auckland Waikato / Bay of Plenty Gisborne Hawke's Bay Wairarapa
Name the regions of New Zealand’s South Island from north to south.
Nelson
Marlborough
Waipara Valley / Canterbury
Central Otago
The bulk of the North Island’s production is concentrated in the central and southern regions of which three regions?
Gisborne
Hawke’s Bay
Wairarapa
Which region of New Zealand’s North Island is one of the most important for red wines?
Hawke’s Bay
Which two types of gravel soil are native to New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay?
Greywacke Gravel
Gimblett
What is the most planted grape in New Zealand’s Gisborne region?
Chardonnay
Where is Martinborough?
Which two wines perform particularly well there?
It is in New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa.
Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.
What is New Zealand’s “Montana Wine” brand known as outside of the country?
Brancott Estates
Which region of New Zealand is the highest in altitude?
Where is it?
Central Otago
It is the southernmost region of New Zealand’s South Island.
What is the worlds southernmost wine region?
Where is it?
Central Otago
It is the southernmost region of New Zealand’s South Island.
What is the climate of New Zealand like?
Mostly Maritime, the exception being Central Otago which has a true continental climate.
Name a traditional method sparkling wine from New Zealand.
Brancott Estates - “Showcase Series”, Blanc de Blanc, South Island, Marlborough ($38)
Cloudy Bay - “Pelorus”, Brut, South Island, Marlborough ($38)
Name a syrah from New Zealand.
Mt. Difficulty - “Ghost Town”, South Island, Central Otago, Bendigo ($43)
Name a sweet wine from New Zealand.
Brancott Estates - “B”, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, South Island, Marlborough ($27)
South Australia emerged as the country’s leading producer of wine as a result of what devastating event?
Phylloxera’s spread in New South Wales and parts of Victoria
Who makes Astralis and where are they located?
What grape(s) are used?
Clarendon Hills, South Australia, Fluerieu Zone, McLaren Vale
Shiraz
North West Victoria is home to what two Regions that are shared with New South Whales?
Swan Hill
Murray Darling
Who makes [yellowtail]?
Casella
Where is the Hunter Valley Zone?
What are its regions and subregions?
It is in eastern New South Wales.
Hunter is the sole region
The subregions are:
Broke Fordwich
Pokolbin
Upper Hunter Valley
Name three major producers located in the Margaret River.
Cullen
Vasse Felix
Leeuwin Estate
Why is mechanical harvesting so common in Australia?
The lack of a large population and a source of cheap labor
The Hogshead is a traditional barrel in what region? What is the size in liters of this barrel? What kind of oak is it made from?
Barossa Valley
300L American Oak
In 1951 who was responsible for releasing Penfold’s first vintage of Grange Hermitage?
Max Schubert
What percentage of the national output of wine is produced in South Australia?
50%
Wines made in the manner of Spanish Sherry are known in Australia as what?
Apera (as of 2010)
Which Australian vintages of the 2000s have been most heavily affected by drought?
'03 '06 '07 '08 '09
