Food & DrinkDrinksWineThe Wine Regions of Australia The Wine Regions of Australia The more well-known wine regions in Australia are located in the states of South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia. The wine regions in each of these states produce different types and styles of wines that take advantage of the particular area’s terroir. Australia’s most important state for wine production is South Australia. South Australia makes about 50 percent of Australia’s wine. While many vineyards in South Australia produce inexpensive wines for the thirsty home market, vineyards closer to Adelaide (the state’s capital) make wines that are considered among the country’s finest. Among these fine wine regions are: Barossa Valley: north of Adelaide, this is one of Australia’s oldest areas for fine wine; it’s a relatively warm area famous especially for its robust Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grenache, as well as rich Semillon and Riesling (grown in the cooler hills).

Most of Australia’s largest wineries, including Penfolds, are based here. Clare Valley: North of the Barossa Valley, this climatically diverse area makes the country’s best Rieslings in a dry, weighty yet crisp style, as well as fine Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. McLaren Vale: south of Adelaide, with a mild climate influenced by the sea, this region is particularly admired for its Shiraz, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. Adelaide Hills: Situated partially within the Adelaide city limits, this fairly cool region sits between the Barossa and McLaren Vale areas and is the home to rather good Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. Limestone Coast: This unique zone along the southern coast of South Australia is an important area for fine wine, both red and white, thanks to the prevalence of limestone in the soil. Two of the six regions within the Limestone Coast zone are famous in their own right — the cool Coonawarra for some of Australia’s best Cabernet Sauvignon wines, and Padthaway for its white wines, particularly Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling.

New South Wales, with its capital, Sydney, is Australia’s most populous state, and the first to grow vines; today it makes 31 percent of Australia’s wine. High-volume production of everyday wines comes from an interior area called the Riverina. Fine wine, for now, comes from three other areas: Hunter Valley: An historic grape-growing area that begins 80 miles north of Sydney. beer and wine healthThe Lower Hunter, with a warm, damp climate and heavy soils, produces long-lived Semillon as its best wine. best italian wine barThe Upper Hunter is a drier area farther from the coast.best italian wine blogs Mudgee: An interior area near the mountains. wine and food gif

Mudgee specializes in reds such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon but also makes Chardonnay. Orange: A cool, high-altitude area making distinctive white wines and also very good reds. Adjoining South Australia to the east is Victoria, a smaller state that makes 15 percent of Australia’s wines. Most of Victoria’s 500+ wineries are small. Victoria’s fine wine production ranges from rich, fortified dessert wines to delicate Pinot Noirs. why can't i buy wine on amazonPrincipal regions include, from north to south:best dry red wines to cook with Murray River: This area stretching into New South Wales includes the Mildura region, where Lindemans, one of Australia’s largest wineries is situated. where is the best port wine from

This region is particularly important for growing grapes for Australia’s good-value wines. Rutherglen: In the northeast, this long-established, warm climate zone is an outpost of traditional winemaking and home of an exotic Australian specialty, fortified dessert Muscats and Tokays. Goulburn Valley: In the center of the state, Goulburn Valley is known especially for its full-bodied reds, especially Shiraz.top red wines in nz Heathcote: East of Goulburn and due north of Melbourne (the capital), this area boasts unusual soils that make distinctive, rich-yet-elegant Shirazes and also Cabernet.best wine in 2009 Yarra Valley: In southern Victoria, and close to Melbourne, Yarra Valley boasts a wide diversity of climates due to altitude differences of its vineyards. The Yarra is noted for its Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Mornington Peninsula and Geelong: South of Melbourne and separated from each other by Port Phillip Bay, these two cool, maritime regions specialize in fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Western Australia, the country’s largest state, makes little wine compared to the preceding three states, but quality is high. The warm, dry Swan Valley is the state’s historic center of wine production, but two cooler climate regions have become more important: Margaret River: This is a relatively temperate region near the Indian Ocean. Among the wines that various wineries here excel in are Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blends, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Great Southern: Cooler than Margaret River, Great Southern’s specialty is crisp, age-worthy Riesling. This huge, diverse region produces intense, aromatic Cabernet Sauvignon as well as fine Shiraz and Chardonnay; on the southern coast, Pinot Noir is successful. Australia Wine Regions: Not Just Shiraz Australia spent millions of dollars to build a brand around Shiraz –Australia’s word for Syrah.

The marketing paved the way for Australia wine production to triple since 1990. However, despite the success, Australian wines have suffered some serious drawbacks in the media. Wine critics often disregard most Aussie wine as “Critter Wines” –referring to the cute animal designs that adorn wine labels. It’s time to dig deeper than the bottom shelf at the grocery store and find out what Australia wine regions are all about. There’s more to Australian wine than Yellow Tail and Little Penguin. 2016 Wine Map Update Now Available: Appellation maps to explore all of the major wine producing regions of the world. Discover art made to be handled. View Wine Maps ➜ View Updated 2016 Map Visit our Store Printed on 90 lb archival matte paper with lightfast soy inks. What is Australia Known For? As you might guess, Australia’s main vineyard produce is Shiraz followed by Chardonnay. The two varieties make up 44% of the total wine production. What the production totals don’t say is that Australia is trying to diversify.

Many of the Chardonnay and Shiraz plantings are being ripped out in favor of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Where is Australian Wine Country? The largest wine production region by far is South Australia. One major city in South Australia is home to the Australian Wine Research Institute (awri). AWRI is responsible for much of the world’s research on dry farming techniques and commercial wine operation. Besides South Australia, keep your eyes peeled for the two up-and-coming wine regions: Western Australia and Victoria. How Big is the Aussie Wine Industry?–enough wine to fill up a honda civic gas tank 26,000 times. Top Australia Wine Regions The three major wine regions in Australia by shear volume are South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. South Australia and NSW tend to be more famous for their warm climate varieties such as Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon whereas Victoria is known for cool climate-loving Pinot Noir. Adelaide is the hub of the largest wine growing region in Australia.

A few miles from Adelaide is Barossa Valley, South Australia’s most prestigious growing area. It’s interesting to note that the majority of the wine from the area is actually grown in Lower Murray and Fleurieu (see the geeky list of GIs below) Barossa Valley–oldest living vineyards in the world?! 45 minutes from Adelaide are the rolling hills of Barossa Valley. The region is unique because of its isolation from the rest of the world. Phylloxera hasn’t yet infected vineyard soils in Barossa, which means it’s home to some of the oldest living vineyards in the world. What to seek out from South Australia Old Vine Shiraz is definitely top notch, it’s both smoky and rich with spice. Famous producers in the area include Penfolds, Elderton and Rockford. Keep your eyes peeled for red blends called GSM: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre –The major blending grapes used in French Southern Rhone wines. Barossa Valley is flanked by 2 famous regions for white wine.