Australia
Although California’s wines appeared first, Australia was the New World phenomenon that revolutionised the international wine market and changed the way we drink wine.
Australia's most famous wine is Penfold’s Grange and for many years this was the only ‘great’ from down under, indeed it was the ray of hope in what was a depressed and directionless industry. Without Grange it is possible that there would have been no ‘New World phenomenon’ at all. It was originally conceived as Médoc-like wine, but made from Shiraz because there was no Cabernet available. When it was first shown tasters complained that it had a nose of “crushed ants” and the winemaker, Max Shubert, was ordered to discontinue production. He didn’t, and Grange went on to become the Penfold’s flagship and the darling of the wine show circuit, reaching an apogee when the 1971 vintage won first prize in Syrah/Shiraz at the Wine Olympics in Paris. More recently, wine critic Hugh Johnson has called Grange the only First Growth of the southern hemisphere, and Robert Parker has written that Grange "has replaced Bordeaux's Pétrus as the world’s most exotic and concentrated wine".
Australia has almost 2000 wine producers, most of whom are small winery operations. However, the industry is dominated by a several major wine corporations such as Foster's (including Penfold’s and Wynns) and Hardy’s, (including Haughtons and Leasingham). Another notable group is Lion-Nathan (including Petaluma and St Hallett’s).
Until recently, attention was focused on South Australia’s traditional regions, Barossa, Mclaren Vale and Coonawarra, the source of the grapes for Grange and other icons such as Henschke's Hill of Grace, St Hallett's Old Block and Peter Lehmann’s Stonewell. However since the 1970s the search has been on for cooler sites to make more balanced and perhaps even greater wines. The rewards have been classy Pinot and Chardonnay from Adelaide Hills, Yarra and Tasmania, beautiful Cabs from Margaret River and intense Shiraz from Heathcote and Canberra. ‘Regionality’ may not have had much effect on the ocean of Aussie wine in wine-bars and supermarkets, but with it Australian premium wine has definitely come of age.
Canberra & Victoria
8 - 14 March 2009
South Australia
1 - 8 March 2009
Western Australia
3 - 10 March 2008
South Australia Wine Tour
10 - 17 March 2008
