D4.C21. Australia Flashcards

1
Q

What is the amount of annual sparkling wine sales in Australia?

A

66 million litres (2019–20)

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2
Q

Sparkling wine sector represents how many percent of total wine crush in Australia?

A

6%

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3
Q

What are the percentages of domestic consumption and export for sparkling wines in Australia?

A
  • Domestic: 89%
  • Export: 11%
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4
Q

How is the trend for export sales for Australian sparkling wines?

A
  • Export sales of Australian sparkling
    wine have risen in recent years
  • Increase in export is driven by sales of sparkling Moscato, Shiraz and Australian Prosecco
  • Exports of traditional method wines have declined
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5
Q

Which styles of sparkling wines are produced in Australia?

A
  • Traditional: From Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier blends
  • Tank method: From Glera/Prosecco and Moscato
  • Sparkling Shiraz
  • Pet Nat
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6
Q

Grapes for traditional method sparkling wines are produced in which regions of Australia?

A
  • Tasmania
  • Yarra Valley (led by Domaine Chandon)
  • Adelaide Hills
  • Alpine regions of Victoria and New South Wales on higher altitude sites
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7
Q

Which region of Australia is the leading region for high-quality sparkling wines?

A

Tasmania

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8
Q

When and how did sparkling wine production begin Tasmania?

A

In mid-1980s, when a joint venture between the Tasmanian company Heemskerk and Champagne Louis Roederer was launched

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9
Q

How is the amount of sparkling wine produced in Tasmania? What is its proportion to total wine grape production?

A
  • The state produces only a small amount of wine but has been very successful in terms of quality
  • In 36% of its total wine grape production was made into sparkling wine
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10
Q

Compare the weather in Tamar Valley and Piper’s River in Tasmania.

A

Tamar Valley is much warmer than Piper’s River as it is more sheltered from the cold Southern Ocean and harvests a fortnight before Piper’s River

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11
Q

How is the weather in Southern Tasmania when compared to north?

A

With the exception of the warm Coal Valley, Southern Tasmania is generally cooler than the warm parts of the north coast

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12
Q

Having the coldest areas that are cooler than Champagne, how is it possible for Tasmania to produce grapes for sparkling wines?

A

Because of higher sunlight intensity due to the latitude

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13
Q

What are the advantages of sourcing fruit from different locations around Tasmania, as practiced by large producers?

A
  • To gain necessary volumes
  • Balancing wines by blending grapes from cooler and warmer regions
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14
Q

What are the main viticultural hazards for growing grapes for premium sparkling wines in Australia?

A
  • Spring frosts
  • High rainfall
  • Coulure in the early season and botrytis later on
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15
Q

Where is the fruit sourced from for the inexpensive sparkling wines in Australia? How are they labelled?

A
  • Riverland, Riverina adn Murray-Darling
  • Labelled ‘South Eastern Australia’ (vast majority of sparkling wine produced in Australia)
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16
Q

What are the common viticultural practices for producing grapes for inexpensive sparkling wines in Australia?

A
  • Irrigation is essential
  • Mechanisation is standard
  • Fruit is picked early for lower potential alcohol, to retain acidity and to avoid over-ripe fruit notes
  • Yields here are two to three times as high as in cool areas ( and prices are around one-quarter of the prices for the fruit that goes into super-premium wines)
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17
Q

What is unique about the viticultural practices for Shiraz that is destined to be a sparkling wine?

A
  • The fruit is grown in warm-climate regions, especially central Victoria, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale
  • This style requires richness and intensity of flavour and therefore the grapes are picked at the same time as for still wines
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18
Q

Which methods are used to produce sparkling wines in Australia?

A

All methods

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19
Q

Which styles of traditional method sparkling wines are produced in Australia?

A

Several styles including non-vintage, vintage, prestige cuvée, rosé

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20
Q

What is the time on the lees for traditional method sparkling wines of Australia?

A
  • There is no standart
  • Premium producers look to Champagne as an example and have similar minimum lees-ageing time
  • Significant number of the best producers age their wines on the lees for long periods of timeas standard (three or more years)
  • Emerging category of ‘late disgorged’ wines, with
    more than six years ageing, is led by producers such as Jansz and Arras
21
Q

How do the larger and smaller producers produce sparkling wines in Tasmania?

A
  • Large producers: They press the grapes on the island, but then completing the winemaking on the mainland
  • Small producers: They make their wines to completion on the island, as small volume production can be carried out by hand and limited machinery
22
Q

Tasting notes for a premium traditional method wine from Australia.

A
  • Medium (+) to high acidity
  • Medium alcohol
  • Medium (-) to medium (+) body
  • Medium (-) to medium (+) flavour intensity depending on the style and length of lees ageing
  • Lighter styles will be softly fruity (citrus fruit and apple) whereas the fuller bodied styles typically have prominent autolytic notes
  • Wines may or may not undergo malolactic conversion
23
Q

Which grape varieties can be used to produce wines by transfer method, tank method and carbonation in Australia?

A
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Noir
  • Moscato
  • Glera/Prosecco
24
Q

Tasting notes for sparkling wines produced by transfer, tank or carbonation method in Australia.

A
  • Medium to medium (+) acidity
  • Dry to medium-sweet
  • Low to medium alcohol
  • Light to medium body
  • Fruity, some intensely so, with anything from citrus fruits to riper peach and apricot fruits as well as the grapey fruit of Moscato
  • Little or no autolytic character (just in some transfer wines)
25
Q

What are the important brands for sparkling wines produced by transfer, tank or carbonation method in Australia.

A
  • Brown Brothers
  • Jacob’s Creek
  • Yellowglen
26
Q

How is sparkling Shiraz produced?

A
  • It is made like a normal still red wine
  • Malolactic conversion (+)
  • May or may not spend time maturing in oak
  • Very good and outstanding quality wines are made by the traditional method
  • Acceptable to good wines are by transfer method, tank or carbonation
  • They are also made from other varieties
27
Q

Tasting notes for a sparkling Shiraz.

A
  • Deep in colour and may vary from ruby to garnet
  • Medium (-) to medium acidity
  • Medium to high alcohol
  • Medium but ripe and soft tannins
  • It is common for wines to have more than 20 g/L of residual sugar to balance the effects of tannins and high alcohol on the palate
  • Medium- to full-bodied with medium to pronounced intensity
  • Styles can be distinctly fruity or may have more savoury complexity from extended oak maturation prior to second fermentation
  • Autolytic notes tend not to be overt as they are masked by other flavours
  • Usually sparkling reds are released after one to two years.
28
Q

How is the consumption trend for Sparkling Moscato in Australia?

A

It is a growing sector in the domestic Australian wine market

29
Q

Where are the grapes for sparkling Moscato sourced?

A

From grapes grown in many different regions, though tending to warmer climates

30
Q

Which methods are used to produce sparkling Moscato?

A
  • Higher quality, smaller production Moscato is made by the tank method
  • Most inexpensive to mid-priced Moscato is made by carbonation
31
Q

Tasting notes for a sparkling Moscato.

A
  • Low in alcohol
  • Medium acidity
  • Off-dry to sweet
  • Distinctly fruity in style with classic Moscato grapey flavours
32
Q

What is the quality range for sparkling Moscato?

A

Acceptable to good

33
Q

How is the consumption trend for Australian Prosecco in Australia?

A

It is a rapidly growing and important segment of the wine market

34
Q

What is the main region for the production of Australian Prosecco?

A

King Valley

35
Q

How can Australia use “Prosecco” in the labels of sparkling wines produced by Glera?

A
  • The variety was planted in Australia before Italy changed the use of the name from a variety name to the name of a PDO
  • First Australian Prosecco was released by Dal Zotto in 2004; Italy changed the use of the word Prosecco from 2009
36
Q

Can Prosecco labels be used for Australian wines that are exported to EU?

A

No, if exported to the EU these wines must be labelled as Glera

37
Q

Which method is used to produce Australian Prosecco?

A

Predominantly the tank method. Some carbonated
wine is also made

38
Q

Tasting notes for an Australian Prosecco.

A
  • Lightly fruity style
  • Medium (+) acidity
  • Medium alcohol
  • Light to medium body
  • Delicate white peach flavours
  • Off-dry to medium-dry
39
Q

What is the quality range for Australian Prosecco?

A

It is predominantly made by small producers with a focus on quality and the quality is good to very good

40
Q

Pet Nats are usually produced by which type of producers in Australia?

A

Many small, often natural, winemakers

41
Q

Tasting notes for an Australian Pet Nat.

A
  • Can be quite cloudy
  • Varying levels of pressure from slightly sparkling to fully sparkling
  • Usually dry
  • Medium (+) acidity
  • Medium alcohol
  • Light to medium (+) body
  • Medium to pronounced flavour intensity
  • The wines often have yeasty characteristics along with fruit flavours
42
Q

What is the main factor that drives the Australian sparkling wine makers to create new styles such as sparkling Shiraz?

A

They are not constrained by wine laws related to varieties permitted within geographical indications

43
Q

What is the result of the success of Tasmanian traditional method sparkling wine?

A

It has led to significant acquisitions of small wineries by the large producers and to consolidation in the sector
- Brown Brothers bought Tamar Ridge
- Accolade owns a range of brands including House of Arras and Bay of Fires

44
Q

Domestic sales of sparkling wines represent how many percent of total domestic wine sales by volume in Australia?

A

12%

45
Q

What are the trends for sparkling wine sales in Australia?

A

Recent developments have seen the rise of Australian Prosecco and Moscato, and a falling back of sparkling Shiraz sales

46
Q

What is the amount of sales for Australian Prosecco in retail market in 2020-21?

A
  • It reached sales of over 6.5 million liters
47
Q

How did the production of Australian Moscato change recently?

A

Australian Moscato tripled in production between 2014 and 2017

48
Q

What are the reasons for the reduction of sparkling Shiraz sales in Australia?

A
  • Rise of these other sparkling options
  • Reduced interest in high alcohol wines
  • New interest in foreign wines
49
Q

What is the trend for Pet Nat wines in Australia?

A

There is an increasing interest in Pet Nat via wine bars in the domestic market