Australia – wine laws

A Geographical Indication (GI) is an official description of an Australian wine zone, region or subregion. Its main purpose is to protect the use of the regional name under international law, limiting its use to describe wines produced from fruit grown within that GI.

A Geographical Indication can be likened to the appellation naming system used in Europe (e.g. Bordeaux, Burgundy in France) but is much less restrictive in terms of viticultural and winemaking practices. In fact, the only restriction is that wine which carries the regional name must consist of a minimum of 85% of fruit from that region. This protects the integrity of the label and safeguards the consumer.

The use of Geographical Indications in Australia commenced in 1993 when the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation Act (1980) was updated to enable Australia to fulfill its Agreements with the European Community on trade in wine. The act defines the regions from where the grapes are grown allowing confidence in their origin. The GI system does not, however, include any procedure for assessing quality as each zone is defined only by its geographical location.