Let’s celebrate Aussie Wine month!
Aussie Wine Month starts from the 01st May and I felt compelled to write a blog all about the beautiful wines Australia has to offer and to show support to our wineries and cellar doors. From what I can tell Aussie Wine Month first came to fruition some 7 years ago so it’s a relatively “new” celebration.
Australian wines are renowned for their exceptional quality and uniqueness. Australia’s three main wine regions are South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. We are so blessed to have these wine regions in our own back yard! Australia produces more than 100 different grape varieties.
What makes Australian wine so unique? Australia has some of the best wines in the world and that’s all due to the variety of soils we have, the location of our vineyards, and the right climate for grapes to grow.
What is Australian wine famous for? Australia is well known for our Shiraz and our Chardonnays which these varieties alone make up 44% of our total wine production!
How is Australian wine different? Australian wines and more so our red wines are bolder and full of flavour because of our hotter climate. Our hot climate creates much sweeter and sugary grapes. French wines are a lot more “delicate” and a lot milder (and in my opinion tasteless) in comparison and don’t hate me for saying this but I believe French wines are a lot more “watery “and dull.
What is Australia’s wine reputation? Bloody amazing is what it is! We produce rich bold red wines, typically your Shiraz’s and Cabernet Sauvignons as we have the perfect grapes grown here. Let me put this out there, but I am pretty confident in saying this our Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon are some of the best, if not the best in the world!
So when did wine start growing in Australia? It started way, way back in 1788. The first vines ever planted (and documented) were in New South Wales where the current Sydney Botanical Gardens now reside. These vines were collected by the First Fleet from Rio De Janeiro and Cape Town on that first journey from England to Australia. But having said that I am a little confused as my research lead me to The Father of Australian Wine Industry and that was a gentleman by the name of James Busby who is said to have brought the first “collection” of vine stock from Spain and France to Australia. Either way I want to personally thank whoever was the first!!!
What city in Australia is known for its wine? Drumroll please….The Barossa valley in South Australia. No surprise really, right?
What is Australia’s most famous wine? Penfolds Grange. Penfolds Grange has won a slew of awards dating as far back as 1955.
What is Australia’s oldest winery? Wyndham Estate in Dalwood NSW holds the title for the oldest winery in Australia. Established early 19th Century.
Do Australians prefer red or white wine? I would have said that red wine was the most popular and favourited wine, but I was wrong! Research indicates that 60% of wine drinkers prefer white.
What is the coolest wine region in Australia? Well of course it’s the Yarra Valley in Melbourne. I mean come on Melbourne is the best state in all of Australia(no hate mail please). It won hands down because it has the most popular and historic wine regions and famous for cellar doors offering excellent quality cool-climate drops including Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnays. (Cool -climate drops means and if I may quote: “If the fruit notes in red wine taste very ripe or jammy, then its likely from a warm climate. If it tastes tart or delicate like freshly picked berries, then the wine likely came from a cooler climate”.)
Some interesting facts is if you read the Wine Production Sales and Inventory Report it reports that Australian wine production for years 2022-2023 was an estimated 946 million litres of wine was manufactured!!! And even so that was the lowest amount since 2006-2007! Bloody hell that’s a whole lotta wine! I guess global conditions are extremely challenging and have been so for a few years and there has been a decline in wine consumption (maybe not so in my household!). There is also an oversupply of wine.
In 2023 1.32 million tonnes of grapes were crushed which made a total of 964 million litres of wine produced, total sales value was 4.99 billion . Australia exported 58% of their wines to Europe (51%), Asia (9%), Americas (34%) and other countries (6%). Domestic values WA (12%), NT (1%), QLD (26%), NSW (28%), VIC (22%), TAS (3%).
So, lets support our Aussie Wine Makers this month! Buy a bottle of Australian wine the next time you go booze shopping. Let’s help our wine makers, vineyards, cellar doors. Let’s keep the bucks in this country but just remember like everything – in moderation folks!
With that I’m off for a glass of plonk!
Irene
