Australian wines

Wine history

Governor Arthur Phillip's First Fleet brought vine cuttings from the Cape of Good Hope to New South Wales in 1788. Gregory Blaxland became the first exporter of Australian wine in 1822, vineyards were planted in the Hunter Valley in 1830, and in 1833 James Busby returned from France and Spain with a collection of grape varieties. German Lutherans from Silesia settled the Barossa Valley in the 1840s, and Turkey Flat in Tanunda still harvests vines planted in 1847, among the oldest in the world. In 1951 Max Schubert made the first experimental vintage of Penfolds Grange, using techniques he had seen in Bordeaux; it is the only wine heritage-listed by the National Trust of South Australia.

Wine regions and appellations

Australia uses a Geographical Indication (GI) system of zones, regions and subregions, with more than 60 designated wine regions. A grape name on the label means at least 85% of that variety. South Australia holds the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, both growing Shiraz and Grenache, Coonawarra for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, Clare Valley and Eden Valley for Riesling and Shiraz, and the Adelaide Hills for Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Victoria has Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and the fortified wines of Rutherglen. Western Australia has Margaret River, and Tasmania has the Tamar Valley.

Grapes and what to drink

About 130 grape varieties are used commercially, but Syrah, called Shiraz in Australia, is the most planted. Barossa Shiraz is typically full-bodied and very ripe, and winemakers there favour American oak over French; Hill of Grace is among the country's most famous Shiraz wines alongside Grange. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in Coonawarra, Margaret River, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale, and Grenache and Mourvèdre also appear in the Barossa. Among whites, Clare and Eden Valley make Riesling, the Hunter Valley and Margaret River grow Semillon, and Chardonnay is planted from Adelaide Hills and Yarra Valley to Margaret River and the Hunter Valley.

Wine regions of Australia

• New South Wales 1
• South Australia 8
• Tasmania 1
• Victoria 3
• Western Australia 1

Grapes of Australia

• Syrah 8
• Chardonnay 7
• Cabernet Sauvignon 6
• Pinot Noir 4
• Riesling 3
• Sémillon 2
• Sauvignon Blanc 2
• Grenache 2
• Mourvèdre 1
• Pinot Gris 1
• Muscat 1
• Muscadelle 1

Wine in Australia: questions and answers

Wines from other countries

• France 282
• Italy 70
• Spain 37
• Portugal 20
• United States 19
• Germany 18
• Chile 10
• Argentina 9
• Austria 9
• South Africa 9
• New Zealand 6
• Greece 4
• Hungary 4
• Switzerland 4