Australia

An agricultural powerhouse, Australia includes several major areas of wine production which have been intensely developed over the past two or three decades: Australia is the world’s seventh-biggest producer of wine, and among the fastest-growing. From the elegant, long-lived Cabernet of Coonawarra to the rich, complex Shiraz-based wines of the Barossa Valley, to the elegance and finesse of Margaret River Chardonnay, Australia offers the wine lover an abundance of choices.

Geography and Climate

The production of quality wines in Australia is restricted to the temperate regions of the southeast, as the north is too hot and arid for the cultivation of wine grapes. Australia's rainfall is the lowest of the five inhabited continents, and many rivers flow only seasonally. Thus, most Australian vineyards are irrigated. Apart from the fertile plains in the southeast, grapes are also grown in several mid-altitude cooler regions, such as Coonawarra and the Adelaide Hills; these areas are now producing wines that compare favorably with many of the world’s best-loved wine regions.

Grape Varieties

A very wide range of grape varieties are grown in Australia, but the variety most closely identified with the country “Down Under” is Shiraz (called Syrah in France). Dark, full-bodied and powerful Australian Shiraz wines have carved out an international reputation. Other grapes grown in Australia with great success are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling.