When you check out the wine section of your local liquor store or grocery store, you might be surprised to find that there are a number of bottles from Australia. Although most people associate fine wines with places in Europe, such as France, or California in the United States, there are other regions of the world that produce great wine as well. Many Australian wines taste significantly different from European or American selections, since the grapes that grow "down under" taste different than other grapes.
Shiraz
The most popular Australian wine variety is Shiraz. Originally arriving in this country in 1832, Shiraz refers to the type of grape, which makes up most of the mixture in any wine called by that name. Shiraz grapes, which produce red wine, grow better in Australia than anywhere else in the world, according to experts, and the grapes have a spicy mulberry flavor. This grape's characteristics change slightly depending on whether they grow in Australia's cold region or warm region. In both regions, Shiraz grapes blend well with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, and in warm regions, some winemakers mix the grape with Grenache or Mourvedre grapes. Viognier grapes have also risen in popularity in recent years as one of the grapes to blend with Shiraz grapes.
Other Reds
Although Shiraz is the most popular red wine from Australia, this country also produces a number of other red grape varieties as well. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown throughout the country, while Pinot Noir grapes are grown in Australia's cooler climates. Winemakers also grow Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Merlot, Mourvedre, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Zinfandel grapes in Australia; all of these produce red wines, and many are blended with other red grapes to make winery-specific reds.
Whites
Of the white wines produced in Australia, Chardonnay is most popular. This variety of grape first rose to popularity in the country in the 1980s, though it was introduced to Australian winemakers as early as the 1920s. Australian Chardonnay wines are less buttery than Chardonnays from other parts of the world, and they tend to have a vanilla or oaky hint, with subtle fruit tastes. Reislings are also very popular in Australia. In this country, they are usually made to be very dry, as opposed to Reisling wines in Europe, which are typically semi-dry or semi-sweet. Other white grapes grown in Australia for white wine production include Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Gewurztraminer, Marsanne, Muscat, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Verdelho and Viognier.
Stickies
Australian dessert wines are called "stickies" by locals, due to their sticky honeylike texture and very sweet flavor. Most stickies in Australia are made from Muscat, Reisling, Semillon, Gewurztramminer or Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Many of these types of wines are a product of the botrytis cinerea fungus, also called "noble rot," which causes the grapes to shrivel and intensifies the sweet flavor of the grape. The Riverina wine region in Australia is especially known for producing critically acclaimed stickies.
Regions
Although many types of Australian wines will be varietal, which means they are primarily one type of grape and usually named for that grape, some wines are regional or specific to a certain winery. They're given the name of the wine region where they were produced or a completely unrelated proprietorial name determined by the winemaker. There are around 60 wine regions in Australia, and most are located near Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth. Wine grapes are also grown on Tasmania.
Tags: most popular, Shiraz grapes, this country, Australia this, Australia this country, Cabernet Sauvignon, from Australia
