General Info/History

Question 1

Total vineyard area (2012)

Answer 1

367000 acres

Question 2

What was the most popular style of wine from 1975-1985?

Answer 2

Dry white wines

Question 3

Since 1985, sales of which style of wine doubled?

Answer 3

Red

Question 4

Approximately how many wineries exist today?

Answer 4

~2500

Question 5

When and where were the first grapes cut in Australia?

Answer 5

January 24, 1791 in the Governor’s garden (present day Inter-Continental Sydney)

Question 6

From where were the first grapes brought?

Answer 6

The Cape of Good Hope

Question 7

When and where was phylloxera discovered in Australia?

Answer 7

Geelong, 1877

Question 8

What technology was introduced into vinification in the 1950s?

Answer 8

Cold fermentation in stainless steel

Question 9

Which two prominent grapes were introduced in the 1970s?

Answer 9

Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

Question 10

By 1994, the “big three” occupied what percentage of production? By 2013?

Answer 10

~27%

~60%

Question 11

Which wine region was decimated by phylloxera?

Answer 11

Victoria

Question 12

What style of wine accounted for 80% of Australia’s production from post-phylloxera period until about 1960?

Answer 12

Sweet and fortified wines

Question 13

Where does Australia rank amongst wine producers globally (by volume)?

Answer 13

Fourth

Question 14

When do mechanical harvests usually occur (time of day)? Why?

Answer 14

Nighttime in order to preserve acidity

Question 15

True or false: blending many grapes from different vineyards only occurs in mass-market wine production.

Answer 15

False! Penfolds’ Grange is a blend from several different areas.

Question 16

Which vintages were affected by drought in recent years in the southeast?

Answer 16

2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.

Question 17

Why do new vintages appear earlier from Australia than from North American countries?

Answer 17

Harvests in the Southern Hemisphere occur six months earlier.