Tasmania's Tamar Valley is one of Australia's top wine regions. IMAGINE MORE THAN 400 Olympic swimming pools filled with wine. That’s Australia’s current annual production of shiraz, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and about 130 other wine varieties. We make more than a billion litres of the stuff a year (down from a peak of 1.4 billion litres in 2005). The produce comes from 1.6 million tonnes of grapes grown on 1600sq.km of vineyards. We are also innovators of the industry: Australian winemakers not only invented the wine cask, but also pioneered screw-cap tops because of a lack of quality cork. Australia exports more than two-thirds of its wine. Still each of us manages to quaff 23L per year, making us the highest English-speaking consumers of wine per capita. To put it in perspective, the French drink more than twice that amount per head. GALLERY: See 10 of the best Australian wine regions Australia’s winemaking history began with Captain Arthur Phillip’s grapevines, which suffered from black spot after their journey over on the First Fleet.

Three years later, 1.2ha of vines planted at Government House on the Parramatta River, New South Wales, were faring better. But it wasn’t until well-researched Scottish viticulturist James Busby arrived in 1824, and started planting in the Hunter Valley, that the industry took off.wine bar logos and names New South Wales was Australia’s major wine producer until the late 19th century, when Victoria took over. best white wine thai foodNowadays, South Australia produces nearly half the annual yield, New South Wales about a third, and Victoria around 15 per cent.best sweet wine at olive garden Australia is consistently among the world’s top 10 producers, making about 4 per cent of the world’s wines.best wine bars in nyc 2015

1. Barossa Valley, SA2. Yarra Valley, VICGALLERY: See 10 of the best Australian wine regions RELATED ARTICLES How to make mulled wine Images of Australia: early 1900s Australia's fashion history Audio: Surprising Aussie inventions Clean and green tag can be misleading Food: Gourmet in the outback King Island: King's banquet On this day: The birth of Vegemite The world's 10 hottest chillies Why chillies are hot: the science of heat Native honey a sweet antibacterial Barrington Topsthe best organic wine: the bushwalker's park Kakadu: the land of extremes World Heritage sites of Australia Top 10 Aboriginal bush medicines Top 10 Australian multi-day walkstop french wine estatesThe Wine Wankers recently went to McLaren Vale in South Australia – and to say we were blown away by the wines we tasted is an understatement.  These are our top 10 reasons why we believe McLaren Vale is Australia’s most exciting wine region right at the moment.

1 – Because Uncle James said so…. James Halliday is one of the world’s most influential wine writers. He’s big, cuddly and has the world’s most awesome eyebrows – so us Wine Wankers like to refer to him as Uncle James.  You know he’ll never lead you astray, especially when it comes to good wines.  We begged James to talk to us Wankers, and he did…. “McLaren Vale has it all. the choice – indeed over-choice – of restaurants in wineries and in the towns; and the vignerons, rightly proud of their region and their wines, ever-welcoming visitors. McLaren Vale Grenache is its secret weapon, not merely Australia’s best, but every bit as good as that of the Rhône Valley. McLaren Vale Shiraz exudes its sense of place with its distinctive streak of dark chocolate, and the maritime climate underpins the controlled generosity of its Cabernet Sauvignon.” 2 – Hickinbotham wines – it’s the new Penfolds Bold claims, I know, but when you consider the Clarendon Vineayrd, now owned by Hickinbotham Wines, is regarded by the wine industry as being one of the country’s best vineyards – these claims can be backed up. 

Even though the vines are only relatively new, being planted in 1971, the vineyard’s grapes have long gone into Penfolds Grange and Bin 707, as well as Hardy’s Eileen –  Australia’s more well known premium drops. No longer will these grapes be blended away however, they will now proudly become single vineyard wines for the first time.  And if the first release 2012 wines are anything to go by, these will instantly become cult classics; especially with the 2013 and 2014 solid McLaren Vale vintages in the pipeline.  And with Hickinbotham Wines, along with Yangarra, being the new playtoy of American giant, Jackson Family Wines, you know money will not be an object when it comes to producing the absolute best wines from this soil. Chief juicemaker Charlie Seppelt couldn’t stop crowing about the juggernaut’s commitment to producing exemplary wines. 3 – The Vale Cru – big things packed into small packages I’m not talking about the Wine Wankers ill-fitting undies, I’m talking about 15 McLaren Vale winemakers who’ve turned their noses to convention and are churning out small batch, high quality wines of distinction. 

The Vale Cru are a diverse mob embracing diverse grape varieties as well as winemaking methods while also shining the light on the region does best.  These guys are so god-damn lovable, the Wine Wankers even partook in an afternoon of speed dating with the ‘Cru.  Let’s just say they got me very drunk and tried to take advantage of me.  Expect a full ‘Speed Dating with the Cru’ report in the not too distant future. 4 – Yangarra – McLaren Vale’s ‘it’ winery of the moment When James Halliday recently gave seven 2012 Yangarra Estate wines ratings between 94 and 97 points, Australia took notice and Yangarra’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing!  Such endorsement is very high praise for such a new winery. But that’s only half the fun.  Winemaker Peter Fraser is now using big ceramic eggs fermenters to really twist things up, making unconventional wines to really assault the senses. One of the most impressive aspects of winemaking here is the mechanical sorting bench;

and it’s the only one in all of McLaren Vale. “So what?”, I hear you ask.  Well, this table sorts each and every grape berry into size groups, and this in turn ensures only the right sized grape then goes into making the wine.  Size does matter, after all and the wine tastes sensational as a result. 5 – Mollydooker – the outsiders I’ve never met a winery that is so polarizing as Mollydooker. On one hand, its wines are literally killing it in the US – having recently been awarded the 2nd best wine in the world by influential Wine Spectator magazine.  And then on the other hand, some experts believe their style of winemaking is setting the industry back by 20 years. You see, these guys make big, ball busting, new-oak driven, fruit bomb flavoured reds with soft tannins that the Americans LOVE, with a capital L.  A far cry from what many in McLaren Vale believe the region’s wines should be renowned for – refined wines made with grapes from dry grown vineyards with deft handling of oak.

Oh, and one last thing, when you do venture to cellar door to taste the wines, you need to shake their hands with YOUR left hand.  A mollydooker is in fact Australian for left handed.  You have been warned!   6 – Victory Hotel – it’s the pub you wish was your local Don’t get me wrong, the North Bondi RSL does have one of the best views in the world, but considering it’s my local, the wine list is a bit shit!  The Victory Hotel is THE pub every winemaker in town calls his or her local.  As a result, the wine list is massive, and not just with a huge selection of hard to get McLaren Vale wines, but an exemplary collection of wines from overseas to keep the winemakers interested and their palates educated.  Oh, and the food – excellent.  I can also recommend the cottages at the Victory for accommodation.  Very affordable and no need for expensive taxis after dinner! 7 – The Star of Greece – because it’s the Star of Greece!  S Give me a decent glass of wine, good food, and the sun melting in to the ocean and I’m a happy man.  W

elcome to the Star of Greece, a ‘must do’ for everyone visiting McLaren Vale.  Don’t come expecting Greek food however, this beach-shack vibed fine dining restaurant is named after the shipwreck that it overlooks from the cliff.  Come for a sunset drink and stay for dinner. And because it’s owned by the same guy that owns the Victory Hotel, you know the wine list is damn good. 8 – #WinesAndGrinds – it’s a thing! Just because you make ridiculously good wine doesn’t mean you’re also into the opera, symphony or ballet.  Truth be known, I hate these things, and so do most of my friends who also love really good booze. So it excites me when a winemaker who churns out excellent wines also has a real edge. Wes Pearson from Dodgy Brothers Wines invited me to a private wine tasting at Wilunga Skate Park; or as he called it – #winesandgrinds!  Dodgy Brothers sums up the reason why I fell in love with McLaren Vale.  Small production wines that are super delicious and a winemaker that doesn’t take himself too seriously.  T

he Australian wine industry should take note of guys like Wes.  Believe it or not, there is a real community out there of people who make wine and love skating.  Check out his skater mate in the Adelaide Hills, Brendon Keys of BK Wines.  Another 5 star James Halliday winery that doesn’t take itself too seriously. #winesandgrinds with winemaker Wes from @dodgybrothers in @mclaren_vale. Wo yourself a favour and checkout his Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2013. It is beyond!!!!!! And costs less than 30 bucks. A post shared by The Wine Wankers (@winewankers) on Apr 11, 2015 at 4:16am PDT 9 – Grenache – it’s better than Shiraz Everyone talks about how amazing McLaren Vale Shiraz is (and it is), but for me, the region’s real hero is Grenache.  The vines are super old and they’re bush vines – so they look super manky and unkempt.  But don’t let their looks deceive you, these unirrigated veterans produce berries that are super concentrated and stacked with flavour.