Topic 1: History of the vine and introduction to the Australian Wine Industry

Question 1

By volume, what are the most important red and white grape varieties grown in Australia?

Answer 1

Red: Shiraz (30%), Cabernet Sauvignon (18%), Merlot (6%)

White: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris

Question 2

Which three European countries produce the largest volume of wine?

Answer 2

Italy, France, and Spain

Question 3

Which attribute of grapevines enabled domestication and wide distribution?

a) Pollination by bees
b) Dioecious reproduction
c) Hand pollination
d) Hermaphroditic reproduction
e) Heterotrophism

Answer 3

d) Hermaphroditic reproduction

Question 4

The area of land in Australia devoted to grape and wine production in 2018 was:

Answer 4

135,133 ha

Question 5

Seed plants can be categorised as Gymnosperms or Angiosperms. Are grapevines Gymnosperms or Angiosperms?

Answer 5

Grapevines are Angiosperms meaning they are seeded plants that flower.

Question 6

What is a small genus of species of grapevine native to today’s Southern parts of the United States that are significant - not for winemaking purposes - but for grapevine breading?

Answer 6

Muscadinia

Question 7

What is the species of grapevine that are part of the plant order Rhamnales and Vitaceae family, that is important to the production of wine?

Answer 7

Vitis vinifera

Question 8

Cultivation of grapevines is thought to have started when and where?

Answer 8

7000 to 5000 BC between the Black and Caspian Seas (a large part of modern-day Turkey)

Question 9

In the wild, all species of Vitis are mostly dioecious (or dicots). What does this mean?

Answer 9

Dicots have separate plants with male or female flowers.

The vines with only male flowers cannot bear fruit, while those with only female flowers can only bear fruit if pollen from a nearby male vine fertilises the female flowers.

Question 10

What development in grapevines allowed them to bear fruit without depending on pollen distribution from nearby vines?

Answer 10

Some vines developed with perfect flowers, also known as hermaphrodites, containing male and female parts on the same flower.

The ability to bear a lot of fruit would have been a selection criterion for the initial cultivation of grapevines, these vines would therefore have been hermaphrodites.

Question 11

Describe the distribution of grapevines around the world and to Australia?

Answer 11

• Domesticated grapevines were initially distributed from the original cultivations found in regions of what today is now known as Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
• Grapevines were then taken to northern Africa, Egypt, and Eastern Europe.
• From Eastern Europe, cuttings were transported further, firstly to the Mediterranean basin (including modern-day Croatia, Greece, France, Spain and Italy) and then to central Europe (including what is now known as Hungary, Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
• The Romans established organised vineyards in Europe as vines were needed to supply wine to the Roman armies.
• Over time, grape growing and winemaking spread to many other parts of the world, today is known as the ‘new word wine regions’, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and North and South America.

Question 12

What are some examples of New World Wine Regions?

Answer 12

Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and North and South America.

Question 13

In 2018, what country overtook France as the world’s largest table grape producing country?

Answer 13

Italy

Question 14

In 2018, which country was the third largest producer of table wine grape producer with 16% of the world’s grape production?

Answer 14

Spain

Question 15

In recent years where has, Australia ranked in worldwide table grape production?

Answer 15

Depending on the vintages, Australia has usually been between the 6th and 8th largest producer of wine in the world by volume in recent years.

Question 16

What is Phylloxera and where is it originally from?

Answer 16

Phylloxera was originally from the United States and is a tiny yellow aphid-like insect, damaging grapevine roots and ultimately causing diminished growth and potentially the death of individual grapevines.

This decimated the vineyards in Europe and also found its way to Australia.

Question 17

How did growers respond to Phylloxera?

Answer 17

Grapevines native to the Americas were found to be resistant to phylloxera and its subsequent disease.

Growers were then able to graft European (Vitis vinifera) grapevines onto the American vines.

The result was vines that produced Vitis vinifera grapes but had pest-resistant roots, and are still widely planted in regions where phylloxera exists.

Question 18

In what decade was there an outbreak of phylloxera?

Answer 18

1860s

Question 19

In what year were the first vines planted in the Yarra Valley at Yering?

Answer 19

1838

Question 20

When was South Australia’s first commercial vineyard established in McLaren Vale, South Australia?

Answer 20

1838

John Reynell established South Australia’s first commercial vineyard in McLaren Vale, South Australia.

Question 21

What decade were Barossa Valley and Eden Valley established?

Answer 21

1840s

Question 22

When did John Riddoch establish Wynnes Coonawarra Estate?

Answer 22

1891

Question 23

Why was there a sharp reduction in Australia’s vineyard area / total production in the 1980’s?

Answer 23

There was an increase in plantings until 1978/79 when a sharp reduction occurred, some of which was due to the ‘vine-pull” scheme of the mid 1980’s where growers in South Australia were given government financial incentives to remove vines.

These included old Shiraz and Grenache vines in the Barossa.

Question 24

What are current estimates of the total Australian vineyard area?

Answer 24

Current estimates put the total vineyard area at 135133 ha in 2018 (Wine Australia)

Question 25

What was the average wine production in Australia between 2009 - 2019?

What factors impacted production levels in Australia during this period?

Answer 25

Most vintages in this period led to the production of approximately 1.6 – 1.8 million tonnes

Most variation is due to a combination of drought and water supply availability and cost.

Question 26

Until the 1960s, the Australian wine industry was based on what type of wine production?

Answer 26

Fortified wine production

Question 27

What factors drove an increase in table wine production by the 1960s in Australia?

Answer 27

1. European immigration post World War 2 is a major reason credited for a greater understanding and appreciation of table wine amongst Australian consumers.
2. The widespread development of refrigeration also allowed control of temperature during fermentation and storage, which in particular aided the production of larger volumes of higher-quality white wine.

Question 28

What type of wine sales replaced fortified wine and became the dominant category in Australia by the early 1970s?

Answer 28

Red wine sales

Question 29

What year did Tyrrell’s bottle the first varietally-labelled Chardonnay?

How were Australian wines labelled before this shift?

Answer 29

1971

Before this period that a significant proportion of table wine was labelled with generic names – most of which are illegal under today’s wine labelling laws. For example, in the Hunter Valley, the Shiraz was often labelled as ‘Red Burgundy” or similar, while the Semillon was labelled with names such as Hunter River Riesling, White Burgundy and Chablis.

Question 30

What white wine variety rapidly expanded in the 1970s and 1980s to become Australia’s most important white variety?

Answer 30

Chardonnay

Question 31

What red wine variety is notable for rising in popularity over the last 20 years?

What % of Australia’s total crush did it make up in 2018?

Answer 31

1. Pinot Noir

2. 5%

Question 32

What % does white wine production make up of total production in Australia?

Answer 32

43%

Question 33

Why is Australia’s wine industry heavily dependent on exports?

Answer 33

Small domestic market because of Australia’s relatively small population and low per capita wine consumption.

Question 34

Which of the following is false for all species of grapevine?

A. They have hermaphroditic flowers
B. They are angiosperms
C. They are susceptible to phylloxera infection
D. They are gymnosperms

Answer 34

D. They are gymnosperms

Question 35

Which of the following refers to a genus of grapevine?

A. Dolcetto
B. Vitaceae
C. Muscadinia
D. Rhamnales

Answer 35

C. Muscadinia

Question 36

Consider the following two statements regarding the Australian Wine industry;

i) Sauvignon blanc is the most widely planted grapevine variety in terms of hectares established
ii) The presence of phylloxera means that all grapevines are grown on rootstock

A. Only statement i) is correct
B. Only statement ii) is correct
C. Both statements are correct
D. Neither statement is correct

Answer 36

D. Neither statement is correct

Notes:

• Shiraz (reds) and Chardonnay (whites) are the most widely planted grapevine variety in terms of hectares established in Australia
• Some areas of Australia are free of phylloxera so ii) is incorrect

Question 37

Which of the following terms refers to the order of plants cultivated grapevines are a part of?

A. Cultivar
B. Rhamnales
C. Vitis
D. Vitaceae

Answer 37

B. Rhamnales