Foundations of Australian Wine
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FOUNDATIONS OF AUSTRALIAN WINE Learn about the essentials of Australian wine, from our storied history and diverse climate through to our most notable regions and varieties. CONTENTS – The history of Australian wine – Geography, climate and soil – Noteworthy regions – Key varieties and wine styles UNIQUE WINES FROM - Australia has one of the most diverse wine scenes in the world, with more than 100 different UNSPOILT grape varieties grown across 65 wine regions. LANDS - The Australian wine community is renowned for its creativity and willingness to experiment. - Australian wines are an authentic expression of the people who craft them and the country’s varied soils and climate. - Australia is home to a highly-skilled winemaking community, crafting premium wines that stand among the world’s best. UNIQUE WINES FROM – Australian wines are an authentic UNSPOILT LANDS expression of the people who craft them – Australia has one of the most diverse and the unique regional characteristics wine scenes in the world. With more of their origins. Winemakers take a down- than 100 grape varieties grown across to-earth approach, reflecting the beauty 65 wine regions, Australian wine today is of Australia’s ancient soils and varied an expression of the country’s distinctive climate. Many vineyards are cultivated climates and soils, and the passionate by multi-generational wine families. communities that cultivate them. – Australia is home to a highly skilled – The Australian wine community is winemaking community, crafting renowned for its creativity and willingness premium wines of exceptional to experiment. Winemakers are curious quality. Its world-class vineyards and by nature, perfecting old concepts award-winning wines stand among and playing with new ideas to create the very best. outstanding wines. DID YOU KNOW Australia is the fifth largest exporter of wine in the world and exports around 60% of its total production. Foundations of Australian wine THE FORTIFIED ERA: 1900 TO 1940s - Driven by - Rutherglen - The thirst for fortified THE HISTORY domestic and Muscats and wines meant that old export demand, Muscadelles Shiraz, Mataró (Mourvèdre) OF AUSTRALIAN fortified wine were a highlight and Grenache vines dominated of this era were maintained – to WINE production be rediscovered and and trade treasured decades later THE PIONEER ERA: LATE 1700s, 1800s - Australia’s wine - Important regions were - James Busby brought pioneers planted established, including back hundreds of vines, expanded the Hunter Valley, cuttings from Europe, their vineyards Tasmania, Yarra Valley, which today are the and began McLaren Vale, the source of precious exporting Barossa and Rutherglen old vines THE GOLDEN AGE: 1960s TO TO DAY - Food and table-wine - Red wine sales - By the early 1980s, - Today the Australian culture grew, and boomed in the 1970s Australia was the 18th wine community is trailblazing winemakers and demand for white largest wine exporter; diverse, unique and discovered or wine rose in the 1980s by the early 1990s it truly world class rediscovered an array was sixth of cool-climate regions THE RENAISSANCE ERA: 1940s TO 1960s - Ambitious growers and - The popularity of winemakers defied consumer fortified wine reached demands for fortifieds to its peak and people produce tiny amounts of began to develop a some of Australia’s finest taste for table wines table wines Foundations of Australian wine THE HISTORY AND HERITAGE OF 1822 AUSTRALIAN WINE Exports begin THE PIONEER ERA: LATE 1700s, 1800s The first bottle of Australian wine Australia’s wine pioneers expanded vine was exported – to London. plantings, produced wines and began 1823 exporting their wares, establishing a small Hunter Valley foundations are laid but very promising industry. They built a By 1823, around 20 acres of grapevines had legacy of important regions and historical been planted in the Hunter Valley along the vineyards – some of which are still home northern banks of the Hunter River, and in the to impressive old vines. years that followed, successful commercial The Australian wine show system started grape growing began in the region. during the 19th century – through the royal Tasmanian wine region emerges agricultural shows – to help improve the Former convict Bartholomew Broughton quality of Australian wine. This system has planted the first significant vineyard in been a constant in the wine scene ever Tasmania. Around a decade later, in 1834, since, and has helped uncover and promote settler William Henty sailed to Victoria some of Australia’s most exciting wines. with grapevine cuttings and plants. 1788 These cuttings became the source of the European settlement in Australia first vineyards in Victoria and South Australia. With European settlement, the first vines First international award for were planted in New South Wales at the Australian wine current site of the Sydney Botanic Gardens. Britain’s Royal Society for the Encouragement The vines were collected by the First Fleet for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce from Rio De Janeiro and Cape Town on the awarded a Silver Medal to Gregory Blaxland journey from England to Australia. for a wine made at Brush Farm in Sydney. 1791 In presenting the award, the judges made The first significant plantings a wise prediction, saying: “It affords a Just a few years later there were three acres reasonable ground of expectation that by of vines, around 8,000 plants, at Rose Hill care and time [Australia] may become a near Parramatta and 800 cuttings at valuable article of export.” Norfolk Island. Since no one in Australia 1829 had viticultural or winemaking experience, Vines arrive in Western Australia these early efforts were unsuccessful. The first grapevines in Western Australia 1815 were planted near Fremantle soon after The Macarthurs visit Europe’s the first colonists arrived. By 1832, botanist wine regions Thomas Waters of Olive Farm was making Pioneer and agriculturalist John Macarthur and selling the first Western Australian wine. planted 3.5 hectares of vines on his property in Sydney in 1797, but his most important contribution to Australian wine came 20 years later. John headed to Europe with his sons James and William with the aim of “collecting vines and of obtaining information regarding their culture”. They propagated these vines in their nurseries at Penrith and Camden Park and then distributed them throughout the colony of New South Wales. Foundations of Australian wine 1832 1844 The James Busby collection arrives A famous name in Australian James Busby, a Scottish civil servant and wine is born viticulturist, arrived in Australia in 1824. The Penfolds story began when Dr In his short time in Australia, he wrote books Christopher Rawson Penfold, a medical on grape growing and winemaking while practitioner from England, and his wife Mary contributing greatly to the establishment arrived in South Australia and purchased of Australia’s wine community. During his land in Adelaide, now famous as the home four-month tour of Spanish and French of Penfolds Magill Estate. It took just over vineyards, Busby collected hundreds of vine 50 years for Penfolds to grow into Australia’s cuttings. These cuttings became the heart largest producer of fortified wines. and soul of Australia’s collection of old vines. 1849 1838 Yalumba: One of the world’s great Yarra Valley establishes Victorian wine wine families The first vines were planted in the Yarra Valley, Samuel Smith arrived in Australia in 1847 making it Victoria’s first major wine-growing and quickly realised the soil and climate of district. But it took a little over a decade for the Barossa were perfectly suited to vines. the region to gain traction. Charles Joseph He planted the first Yalumba vineyard in La Trobe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of 1849, sowing the seeds that would grow into Victoria, invited Clement Deschamps, son of one of the world’s great wine families. the head vigneron in Switzerland’s Neuchâtel, 1858 to come to Victoria and plant vines. Tyrrell’s Wines: Tradition Deschamps was eventually joined in Victoria and innovation by friends and acquaintances from his The founder of the Hunter Valley’s famous hometown, all of whom contributed greatly Tyrrell’s Wines, Edward Tyrrell, purchased to the burgeoning wine scene. land for his first vineyard in 1858. Vineyards 1838 were planted in 1867, 1879 and 1908, and South Australia’s first commercial Tyrrell’s became a champion for Hunter vineyard Valley Semillon and Shiraz. In 1971, Tyrrell’s Young farmer John Reynell established released Australia’s first ever varietally South Australia’s first commercial vineyard labelled Chardonnay, sparking an Australian in McLaren Vale. He was joined in 1850 by wine revolution. Thomas Hardy, who learned from Reynell 1864 before establishing his own property in The rise of Rutherglen 1853 and going on to become a legend in George Morris used his fortune gained as a Australian wine. shopkeeper on gold diggings in Victoria to 1842 purchase 100 hectares of land. Like many Birth of the Barossa others in the region, he planted vines. By the The Barossa Valley, one of Australia’s most mid-1880s, the number of vineyards in the celebrated wine regions, was established region had trebled and Rutherglen was the when European settlers arrived, followed largest wine producer in Victoria. Today, the soon after by Silesian Lutheran immigrants, region is Australia’s capital of fortified wines. who gave the region a distinctly German flavour. In 1847, the first Eden Valley vines were planted by Joseph Gilbert at Pewsey Vale. Many of these early vines planted in the Barossa are still producing fruit today. Foundations of Australian wine 1877 THE FORTIFIED ERA: 1900 TO 1940s McWilliam’s Wines: Legendary legacy Driven by both domestic and export demand, Samuel McWilliam planted vines on the fortified wine dominated production and outskirts of Corowa in New South Wales. trade, with the majority of grapes grown in His son JJ McWilliam went on to pioneer Australia transformed into rich, sweet wines.