NSW, Tasmania and Victoria

Victoria wine is wine made in the Australian state of Victoria. With over 600 wineries, Victoria has more wine producers than any other Australian wine-producing state but ranks third in overall wine production due to the lack of a mass bulk wine-producing area like South Australia’s Riverland and New South Wales’s Riverina. Viticulture has existed in Victoria since the 19th century and experienced a high point in the 1890s when the region produced more than half of all wine produced in Australia. The Phylloxera epidemic that soon followed took a hard toll on the Victoria wine industry which did not fully recover till the 1950s.

Today winemaking is spread out across the state and features premier wine regions such as Yarra Valley. Single varietal wines produced in Victoria include the key Australian varieties of Shiraz and Chardonnay as well as Cabernet, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc with more recent plantings of Viognier, Sangiovese, Pinot noir, Pinot Gris and Nebbiolo. Victorian red wines are often described as more elegant than the robust styles of South Australia, although the style of wine ranges from lighter elegant Pinot Noirs to medium and full-bodied Shiraz and Cabernets. Rutherglen is renowned for its distinctive Madeira-like fortified wines such as Liqueur Muscat.

Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley is an Australian wine region in the state of Victoria. It is a cool climate region that is best known for producing Chardonnay, sparkling wine and Pinot Noir. It is divided into two distinct subregions, the Valley Floor and the Upper Yarra, with distinct altitudes, soils, rainfall and climates between them. Rainfall in the Yarra Valley is typically between 750mm – 950mm. The Yarra Valley was Victoria’s first planted wine region, beginning with a vineyard at Yering Station in 1838. In 1889 Yering Station won the grand prix at the Exposition Universelle, in Paris, the only time a winery in the southern hemisphere has ever done so. Although profile and plantings had grown considerably by the turn of the century, economic decline, the threat of Phylloxera and changing tastes impacted on cool climate viticulture and by 1937 the region was entirely converted to dairy farming. It remained free of viticulture until the 1960’s when vines were once again planted. The region continued to grow with Moët et Chandon planting vines for regional representation in 1985. The region is now known for serious Chardonnay and has moved away from the heavy oak and full malolactic fermentation of the 1980’s and 90’s which were rich and buttery, with modern wines competing with the lighter bodied and leaner wines of Burgundy.

New South Wales

New South Wales is Australia’s most populous state. The very first Australian vineyard was planted in New South Wales in 1791 with vines brought from South Africa. The vines were planted in the garden of Arthur Phillip, then Governor of the colony, in a site that is now the location of a hotel on Macquarie Street in Sydney. Phillip’s early vineyard did not fare well in the hot, humid climate of the region and he sent a request to the British government for assistance in establishing viticulture in the new colony. The government responded by sending two French prisoners of war, under the assumption that all French citizens must know something about making wine. However, neither men had any viticultural training and the most they were able to produce was peach cider. A large variety of grapes are now grown in New South Wales, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sémillon. New South Wales covers a vast expanse of varying microclimates. Overall, the climate shares some similarities with the French wine region of the Languedoc. The Great Dividing Mountain Range has a substantial influence on the climate of many of New South Wales’ viticultural areas with inland areas of higher altitude having cooler climates with more seasonal variation from continental climate influences. The soils of New South Wales are similarly varied with clay and sandstone being the most common. The majority of the state’s production takes place along the Darling and Murray Rivers. The wines produced from these areas are largely used in box wine and mass-produced wine brands such as the globally available, Yellow Tail.

Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley, located 130 km (81 mi) north of Sydney, is the most well-known wine region. The valley has benefited from its close location to Sydney with the tourism and recognition that follows. Collectively the region accounts for 3% of the grapes used in wine production throughout Australia and is most noted for its unique Sémillon. The region is further subdivided into an Upper and Lower Hunter region with the Lower Hunter producing more red wine from grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Hunter Valley Sémillon is typically produced dry with low alcohol levels often less than 10%. This lower alcohol level is achieved, despite the region’s warm weather, by picking the grapes slightly under ripe to help maintain acidity levels. Producers will often ferment Sémillon in oak with additional barrel ageing to enhance the mouthfeel and texture. The wines are characterised by buttery, honey and nut flavours and an ability to age for several decades, often hitting their peak between 10–20 years. The Hunter Valley is very warm, with high humidity and a large amount of rainfall during the growing and harvest season due to the prevailing weather drifting inland from the Pacific Ocean. The Lower Hunter region has several locations with volcanic soil with alluvial sands and on the flatter valley vineyards.

Tasmania

Tasmanian wine is produced in the Australian island state of Tasmania. Located at a more southerly latitude than the rest of Australia’s wine regions, Tasmania has a cooler climate and the potential to make distinctly different wines than in the rest of the country. The area grows primarily Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc, with some smaller plantings of Riesling, Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon. Climate change has had positive effects on the Tasmanian wine industry, allowing most of the grapes in the past few vintages to ripen fully and produce more vibrant wine. Being an island, Tasmania has a temperate, maritime climate that is marked by the strong winds from the surrounding oceans which can be potentially damaging to the vines. The cool climate of the regions makes rain and frost a risk during bud break at the beginning of the grape growing season which gives way to a late harvest typically around April. The region’s cool climate also makes Tasmania a good location to produce sparkling wine with many of Australia’s mainland producers and even the French Champagne house, Moët et Chandon using some Tasmanian grapes for their traditional method Australian sparkling wines. Tasmanian Rieslings have also begun to attract attention for their similarities to a Mosel Riesling. There are around 230 vineyards with only 11000 hectares of vine. Tasmania enjoys a global reputation as a leading producer of premium cool climate wines, winning high praise and awards from wine judges and critics alike.