Wines and wine regions of Australia
Australia's vast landmass has many diverse ecosystems; from scorching deserts, lush tropical rainforests to snow-capped mountains. It's no surprise that the wines made across the continent are similarly as diverse, but they share a common trait of unbound generosity. From the cool climate areas such as the Adelaide Hills and the Clare Valley, come piercingly pure, vibrant and refreshing Rieslings, and from the hot valley floor of the Barossa Valley rich, full-bodied, flavour-packed Shiraz as well as fortified wines made in the Port-style. Likewise, the producers here range in scale from gigantic factory-style operations churning out tanker-loads of wine for the global mass market through to the one-man-band with a tin shed and a couple of barrels. We celebrate this diversity and love this country for its trail-blazing determination to produce top-class wines with character and style.
View a full list of our Australian white wine and Australian red wine.
South Australia
Probably the country's most important wine-producing state, South Australia is home to some of its largest and world-famous wine producers such as Penfold's and Orlando. The Murray River, the life-blood of South Australia and much of the viticulture of south-east Australia, snakes its way eastwards from its source in the Victoria / New South Wales Alps through to the brackish Lake Alexandrina in the south. Adelaide, the State capital, is full of fabulous restaurants with wine-lists to drool over, and is a regular watering hole of winemakers from neighbouring wine regions McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, the Barossa and Clare Valley. We've always found the residents of South Australia to be universally fond of good food and fine wine, and there's certainly no shortage of both in this festival state.
Adelaide Plains
Drive north from Adelaide and you’ll travel across a flat plain dotted with farmsteads, vineyards and fruit groves. There’s a high proportion of families from Southern European origin here, and this is reflected in the grape varieties grown such as Sangiovese and Tempranillo, and the strong likelihood of finding some homemade limoncello in the fridge.
Barossa Valley
No wine lover should miss out on a trip to the Barossa Valley - a region culturally rich (many of the residents have Silesian roots and you'll still find German language books for sale in the second-hand book shops) as well as being absolutely jam-packed with fabulous wineries. It's difficult to know where to go first, there's so much to see and so much to taste. The Barossa is famous for growing full-bodied Shiraz, but you'll find wines of all styles and varieties here as well as a gamut of wine producers. Tanunda is the heart of the Barossa, and is a great place to stay whilst exploring the region.
Clare Valley
About an hour and half drive from the Barossa Valley, the Clare is a beautiful patch of green hills rising above the arid South Australian grain belt. Its elevation, multiplicity of hillsides and microclimates, and exposure to cooling sea breezes means that it can ripen fruit to perfection. Riesling grows exceptionally well here, and produces wines with purity, intensity and an abundance of flavour, characterised by fresh lime and lemon and the ability to age beautifully.
Langhorne Creek
40 kilometres south-east from Adelaide, Langhorne Creek is a flat, alluvial plain, regularly flooded and enriched by the river Bremer. This flooding, as well as a system of irrigation, keeps the vines healthy and well-nourished. A highly reliable quality-growing area, much of the wines from Langhorne Creek ends up in regional blends, however, some real gems can be found.
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McLaren Vale
45 minutes south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is in an enviable position – close to the City for all its entertainment and facilities, and a stone’s throw away from stretches of glorious sandy beaches. Even better, the hotch-potch of vineyards and wineries are interspersed with some fantastic restaurants. Look out for the Star of Greece restaurant (named after a ship that sank off the coast) – a tin shed perched on the edge of a cliff near Willunga – for fantastic fresh fish and stunning ocean views.
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Victoria
Culturally and architecturally very different to South Australia, the wines are equally different in style, although the grape varieties grown are widely similar. A range of climatic conditions exist here, but overall the climate is cooler than Bordeaux. Altitude and proximity to the sea has a profound influence on character and style, and excellent cool-climate examples of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are produced. The region of Rutherglen is famed for the production of gloriously sweet and rich Muscats, a hedonistic treat for all wine lovers.
Yarra Valley
Just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is home to some excellent winemakers, including Dr Bailey Carrodus – the creator of Yarra Yering. It’s a cool climate area and one frequented by city-types enjoying a weekend away in beautiful surroundings.
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Western Australia
It takes just over 3 hours to fly from Adelaide to Perth which gives you an idea just how isolated this beautiful part of Australia is from the rest of the wine industry. Viticulture is concentrated around the Swan Valley and Margaret River, with the latter producing the finest and most elegant wine from the State. Here, you’ll find plenty of surfing winemakers – they just don’t tend to combine these two activities at the same time. A beautiful place to live, and a great winemaking region.
Margaret River
A surfer’s paradise, the Margaret River is characterised by its wild coastline to the west, by towering gum trees and collection of top-quality wineries. The most well-known wineries tend to be clustered close to the Caves Road which runs from north to south, and either side of which sit vineyards, forests and the eponymous caves that trapped Australia’s now extinct mega-fauna in perpetuity for 35,000 years. Our favourite winery is Juniper Estate, which makes great value wines from a region renowned not only for top quality, but also for top prices.
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