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Australian wine regions Australia has a large number of wine-producing areas and well over 2,000 wineries. The maps and much of the information are courtesy of Wine Australia . Click to zoom in  Early
settlers brought a great range of different vines to Australia for
producing grapes and wine. All of the best-known grape varietals
used in Australia are derived from old-world vines. There is not,
however, the tradition of only growing particular grapes in specific
areas, although a given combination of terrain and climatic
conditions will generally favour certain grape types.
The region of South Australia is unquestionably the leading area for premium wine production, as well as crushing almost half of the Australian wine crop. It offers a great diversity of climates to suit almost all grape varietals, from the warm Barossa Valley, through the Mediterranean climate of Coonawarra, to the cooler areas of Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills. It is justifiably famous for its red wine varietals, in particular Shiraz (Syrah) from the northern areas around Adelaide (especially Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale), but also produces some outstanding white wines (most notably the Eden and Clare Valley Rieslings).
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Considering it has only been planted with vines since 1967, it is
remarkable that
Western Australia
produces some of Australia’s top-class Chardonnay and Cabernet
Sauvignon wines. It also produces benchmark Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon
blends and a lighter and more European style of Shiraz. Margaret
River, which has a mild Mediterranean climate that combines warm dry
weather and cooling sea breezes, is the star producer in the region. Australia’s oldest wine-producing region, New South Wales (NSW), has a varied climate and topography with sites suitable for the full range of grape varietals and styles. It produces about 1/3 of Australian grapes. NSW’s most famous wine area is the Hunter Valley area, north of Sydney, which produces a unique world-class Semillon wine, and also now seems to be improving its historic Shiraz production. Victoria has been producing wines since the gold rush of the 1840’s. It produces about 15% of Australia’s grapes, growing all the major grape varietals. Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Heathcote are among the premium wine areas in the region. The rugged island of Tasmania is most closely associated with cool-climate wines, in particular Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and some very well-made Champagne-style wines. That said, it is also home to at least one world-class Cabernet Sauvignon wine. |
