Austraslia Overview Flashcards
What are the two most popular varietals in Australia?
Shiraz and Chardonnay
What is the climate of Australia?
- large parts of the north are tropical and the center is too hot and dry
- in the SE and SW it is cool and Mediterranenan climate
- weather is hotter further inland
What are principles of Australian wine law?
Similar to the EU:
Must contain minimum 85% varietal
single vintage
single region
What are the wine regions of Australia?
South Austrlia Victoria New South Wales Western Australia Tasmania
What are the subregions of the South Australia wine region?
*Barossa Valley
*Coonawarra
McClaren Vale
Eden Valley
Adelaide Hills
Riverland
Langhorne Creek
What are the subregions of the Victoria wine region?
*Yarra Valley
*Rutherglen
Mornington Peninsula
Geelong
Macedon Ranges
Gippsland
Grampians
Pyrenees
Heathcote
What are the subregions New South Wales wine regon?
*Hunter Valley Mudgee Orange Canberra District Riverina
What are the subregions of Western Australia wine region?
*Margaret River
Great Southern
What is the subregion of the Tasmania wine region?
*Tasmania
What are the most important grape varieties in Australia?
Riesling chardonnay *Semillon muscat *shiraz Grenache *cabernet sauvignon pinot noir mouvedre sauvignon blanc pinot gris marsanne
What are important characteristics of Barossa Valley subregion?
- climate ideal for full bodied reds, fortified wines, and robust white wines
- climate is warm on the valley floor and cool I n the high altitude hills surrounding the valley
- large diurnal temperature range: high maximum temps, high sunshine days, and low humidity and rainfall
- soils are low fertility clay loam, and sandy soils ranging from grey to brown to red
What are grapes of Barossa Valley subregion?
*SHIRAZ is the signature wine Riesling Semillon Grenache and Mouvedre Cabernet Sauvignon
What are important characteristics of Eden Valley subregion?
- cool climate, ancient soils, later ripening
* wines are Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz
What are important characteristics of McClaren Vale subregion?
- substantial climate variation due to varying exposure to cooling influence of nearby ocean
- low summer rainfall, irrigation required
- variety of soils: red-brown sandy loam, grey-brown loamy sands, yellow clay sub soils interspersed with lime, and sandy soils
What are important characteristics of Clare Valley subregion?
- primarily Riesling
* red soil, sand, loam
What are the grapes of McClaren Vale sub region?
Shiraz
Cabernet Sauvignon
Granche
Others (fiano, barbera, tempranillo, mouvedre, viognier, zinfandel, sangiovese, verdelho)
What is the climate of Coonawarra sub region?
- maritime climate with dry and moderately cool summers
* extensive cloud cover that moderates the temperature during the most important ripening period
What are the soils of the Coonawarra sub region?
Terra rossa, which is vivid red in color. It is either friable subplastic clay or a shallow friable loam derived from and lying on top of a bed of limestone
What are the grapes of Coonawarra subregion?
*Cabernet Sauvignon
*Shiraz
Chardonnay
Riesling
What are characteristics of the Margaret River sub region?
- strong maritime influence (surrounded by Ocean on three sides
- soils is gravelly or gritty sandy loam
- wines/grapes are Chardonnay, Sauvignon + Semillon blend, and Shiraz
What are the characteristics of the Yarra Valley sub region?
- cool climate region, producing top sparkling wine
- grapes are pinot noir, chardonnay, Shiraz, and cabernet Sauvignon
- soils are grey to grey-brown loamy sand with red-brown clay subsoils; also deep and fertile red volcanic soil
What are characteristics of the Rutherglen sub region?
- capital of fortified wines in Australia
- makes unique white fortified aged wine out of Muscadelle grape
- also does table wines: sparkling shiraz, reisling, marsanne, chardonnay, sangiovese, gamay, shiraz, durif
What is the fortified classification for Ruterglen?
- Rare (20+ years aging)
- Grand (12 to 20 years aging)
- Classic (5 - 12 years aging)
- Rutherglen (2 - 5 years aging)
What are characteristics of the Tasmania sub region?
- cool climate
- sparkling
- pinot noir, chardonnay
What is the climate of the Hunter Valley sub region?
warm, with small diurnal shifts
shorter growing season
What are the soils of the Hunter Valley sub region?
There are three types:
- red clay loam appearing on hilltops and slopes
- chocolate brown podsols
- grey sandy loams over white or yellow clay appearing on flats along creek beds
What are the grapes of Hunter Valley?
*Semillon
*Chardonnay
Shiraz
Verdelho
Where is Hunter Valley located?
New South Wales, AUS
