What is up with Australian Wine?

Australian Wine

AUSTRALIAN WINE.

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What is up with Australian Wine?

Article by Ian Love

Have you seen a picture of the grape vine? It is used in many paintings and has an infinitely delicate and fragile look to it. This is so even in reality. The grapes and grapevines are highly prone to getting hurt or bruised at any kind given time and during any kind of inclement weather conditions. Too much rain, bad crop of grapes; too little rain, bad vintage! Only a good rain fall and lovely summer with clement weather and preferably and early warm summer will beget a good harvest and a very fine vintage. However, you will only find out after the wine has been bottled and aged.The El Niño, in2006-2007, caused severe conditions to prevail over the Southern hemisphere. Dry soil, extreme drought, severe frosts, hailstorms and bushfires resulting from it caused widespread destruction of crops and added the threat of disease. The grape production in Australia dropped by a whopping 32% from the previous year according to official Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) surveys. Not only was the quantity of the crop affected, but the quality too was severely impacted by the shortage of water and the smoke from the bushfires. What a huge impact the blowing of an ‘ill wind’ has on the vintage! However, all was not lost so to speak. According to ABS 978 million liters of wine was produced in 2006-07. The earlier crops of 2003-2005 had produced some exceptionally good vintages, so the Australian wine Exports continued to see an increase in sales and were up by 4%. Even with decreasing prices of wine the Australian Wines have done well in exports worldwide. Sales to the UK accounted for 34% of the total export according to ABS followed by the EU and then by North America. 2005-2006 produced some very fine Rosé wines. Though not as popular as the Australian Reds, they are gaining in popularity. They are basically partly made red wines and drunk very young. They are very adaptable to a variety of foods with which they can be drunk as accompaniments; easy to chill, fruity, light or full bodied, sparkling or still sweet or dry or even crisp, bone-dry. They can complement any kind of palate. The Rosé especially complements the Australian’s love of life outdoors, on the beach, at barbecues, the love of dining outside and long hot summer days. It has a combination of very summery aromas of seasonal fruits, raspberries, cherries, watermelons, strawberries, plums, kiwis, etc. Have the Rosés with Thai food (Charles Melton, Victoria 2006 or the Annies Lane, Clare Valley 2006), Barbecues (Bremerton Racy Rosé 2006 or the GibbstonValley Blanc Pinot Noir 2005), and even with Gourmet Pizza (Juniper Crossing Rosé 2006 or the Mount Majura Rosé 2006). The El Niño may have given the Australian Industry a rough ride, but the earlier crop helped to ride out the turbulence. Therefore, the exports did not suffer too badly. Their domestic market sales also picked up by 4%. The Australian Wine Industry is on an upswing, the graph is climbing, despite adverse conditions affecting production. Kudos to Australian Wine!

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Australian Wine question by Its Me: What facts do you know about Australian wine History?

Australian Wine best answer:

Answer by Grape Stomper
The origins of wine making began back in 1788 when vine cuttings where brought to shore by Captain Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove. These initial vines proved unsuccessful but success stories where not far around the corner when the settlers ventured further a field and found good quality soil that combined with the strong sun and favorable overall climate led to the beginnings of the Australian wine industry in land around Parramatta and close to the current Hunter Valley region near Cessnock.
The major growth in the Australian wine industry began with the introduction of European immigrants from Germany and Switzerland, bringing with them the knowledge and experience needed to start cultivating the excellent growing conditions, particularly in the cooler southern regions of the country, specifically regions such as the Barossa in South Australia. By the turn of the 19th century there were vineyards many of today’s major viticulture areas.
The original wines where heavily influenced by the European settlers who grew them, this changed over time as tastes and economic circumstances changed. Australia, due to it’s British background has until recently had more of a taste for beer (Four X anyone?) which has led to a difficult market for Australian wineries to sell into. For years the fortified wine was the main stay of the market and still holds a large proportion of it today. At many wineries you can pick up excellent port and desert wines at very good prices.
Tastes changed around the 1960’s as Australia matured as a nation, bringing with it greater disposable income and an increased desire for quality wines. Add to this an increasing demand from overseas and the beginnings of a revolution were seeded. New wineries began to spring up around the nation in new and traditional areas, leading to a greater variety and increase in quality.
Australia continues to grow and is currently a favourite in the American, European and Asian Markets.

Tags: Australian, Wine