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NEW
SOUTH WALES
HUNTER
VALLEY
The Lower Hunter Valley, only a two hour drive
north of Sydney, is arguably Australia’s
best-known wine
region. The region enjoys a warm to hot sub-tropical
climate not normally suited to producing quality
table
wine - cooling afternoon sea breezes are the region’s
savior. Originally making its name for long-living
Chardonnay, Semillon and Shiraz. The Hunter Valley
also produces a substantial amount of the trendier
Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc varieties. Many
boutique wineries, trendy restaurants, bed and
breakfasts
and art and craft shops have sprung up over the
last ten years, catering for the many tourists
and Sydney
wine lovers who venture north to this picturesque
area.
MUDGEE
Mudgee, 260 kilometers north-west of Sydney, was
first planted to grapes in 1858 by Adam Roth,
and was
the first wine-growing region in Australia to
grow Chardonnay. Although Mudgee is on the same
latitude as
the Hunter alley to the east, the district’s
average 500 to 1000 meters above sea level provides
cooler
growing conditions. This leads to a longer growing
season which, when combined with the rich soil,
produces full and flavorsome wines. Most of the
district’s more than 20 wineries are small
individual
boutiques.
SOUTH
AUSTRALIA
BAROSSA
VALLEY
The Barossa Valley, an hour’s drive north
of Adelaide, is one of Australia ’s most
famous wine regions, and
many of the nation’s largest wine companies
have their roots here. The Barossa was settled
in the 1840s by
German Lutherans who also brought the first vines
to the valley. Today the region remains close
to its
roots. Many Shiraz, Grenache and Semillon vineyards
here have vines that are between 50 and 100 years
old, producing wines with exceptional depth of
fruit. Other grape varieties produced in the region
include
Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot,
as well as Semillon and Pinot Noir in the slightly
cooler Eden Valley, nearby.
CLARE VALLEY
The Clare Valley wine region, an hour's drive
north of the Barossa Valley and two hours north
of Adelaide,
has a number of elevated vineyards producing wines
with distinct cool-climate characteristics and
intense
varietal fruit favors. The best example of this
is the Clare Valley Riesling, which presents itself
with a crisp
and fragrant bouquet, steely herb and Australia
would not be complete without a detour to this
delightful
region.
THE ADELAIDE HILLS
The Adelaide Hills vineyards average 400 meters
above sea level, just half an hour from the seaside
city of
Adelaide. The verdant terrain of this wine region
is often steep, with many vineyards facing north
to catch
the best sun. Together with the Eden Valley further
to the north, the Adelaide Hills forms the largest
cool-
climate wine growing region in Australia. Its
reputation is growing rapidly as more and more
high-profile
wine makers recognize the potential of this area
for very high-quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and
sparkling
wine.
MCLAREN VALE
McLaren Vale is half an hour south of Adelaide,
between the southern Adelaide hills and the sea.
The area’
s hot summer growing season is tempered by cool
afternoon sea breezes. The region is known for
‘old
fashioned' full-bodied reds, which have as much
to do with a mild, temperate climate and complex
soils as
with the wine making technique. The region’s
white wines also have a certain full-flavored
intensity about
them. The region is best known for Shiraz, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Chardonnay and, more recently, Sauvignon
Blanc and Chenin Blanc. Its proximity to Adelaide,
pleasant sea views and rustic small wineries have
made
McLaren Vale a thriving tourist center, spawning
many superb, character-filled restaurants and
bed and
breakfasts.
COONAWARRA
The Coonawarra is a good four-hour drive south
of Adelaide and six hours west of Melbourne. The
area’s
cool climate, famed terra rossa soil and high
quality underground water produce near-perfect
conditions for
growing Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Coonawarra
is Australia ’s premier producer of that
variety. Other
grapes suited to the area include Shiraz, Chardonnay
and Pinot Noir. As all of the terra rossa soil
here has
been planted to vines, some Australian wine companies
have planted large tracts of land to vines an
hour
north at Padthaway and nearby at Wrattonbully.
VICTORIA
THE
YARRA VALLEY
The Yarra Valley, a cool-climate, low-yielding
wine region, is an hour east of Melbourne in the
rolling
foothills of the Great Dividing Range. The region’s
cold winters and fertile soils help make Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and sparkling wines
at home here. The region’s wine making history
dates
to 1840, but the large plantings now producing
great wines began in 1968 at the Yarra Yering,
Yeringberg
and Fergusson wineries. The French company Moet
& Chandon, seeing the district’s potential
for sparkling
wines, established the Domaine Chandon winery
here in 1985. As more wine-lovers discover this
region on
Melbourne’s doorstep, the number of excellent
restaurants and luxury boutique hotels and lodges
available
here continues to grow.
MORNINGTON PENINSULA
The Mornington Peninsula is an hour’s drive
south of Melbourne, bounded by Port Phillip Bay
to the north
and Bass Strait (and Tasmania) to the south. This
very cool marine climate, not unlike that of the
Bordeaux
region in France, produces clean wines with crisp
acidity and is best suited to Chardonnay, Pinot
Noir,
Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling wines. The hilly
peninsula, with its genuine country feel and varying
views
over Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait, is a favorite
retreat for Melbourne’s well heeled. Many
of the winery
structures here are modern, state-of-the art complexes
with their own restaurants, such as Dromana
Estate and Red Hill Estate.
THE MACEDON RANGES
The Macedon Ranges, a short drive north-west of
Melbourne, was planted in the 1850s and has seen
a
renaissance since replanting in the 1970s. Volcanic
and granite soils and a very cool climate provide
tough
growing conditions, but good viticultural and
wine making skills have produced some great wines
in recent
years. The area is known for long-living Shiraz,
lime flavors on the palate, and a long, dry finish.
TASMANIA
THE
PIPERS RIVER/TAMAR VALLEY REGION
The Pipers River/Tamar Valley region, 35 kilometers
north-east of Launceston, is undoubtedly the premier
wine-producing region in Tasmania, with the Pipers
Brook and Heemskerk wineries leading the way.
The
cool and cloudy climate and the rich, red soils
are well suited to viticulture, especially Pinot
Noir,
Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and sparkling
wines. The countryside in north-east Tasmania
is very
green and quite hilly, with many of the local
towns having the atmosphere of an English country
village.
WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
MARGARET
RIVER
The Margaret River coastal wine region, three
hours south of Perth, is blessed with a temperate
climate,
high rainfall and good soils. It also has some
of the best surfing beaches in the Southern Hemisphere!
Vines
were first planted here in the late 1960s by Dr
Tom Cully of Vasse Felix, Dr Bill Pannell of Moss
Wood and Dr
Kevin Cullen of Cullen’s, all of whom have
gone on to produce some of the best wine in the
region, and
Australia. There are about 40 wineries in the
Margaret River region now, focusing on Cabernet
Sauvignon
and Chardonnay, as well as Semillon and Sauvignon
Blanc.
PEMBERTON
Pemberton, an exciting new wine region, is just
over an hour’s drive to the south-east of
Margaret River.
It consists of about 20 vineyards/wineries spread
between the timber milling towns of Manjimup to
the
north and Pemberton to the south. Visually, the
region is stunning and unique, with many of its
wineries
nestled among the karri, jarrah and red gum forests.
Pemberton’s wineries are gaining a solid
reputation,
with the soil well suited to Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir. A visit to the south-west of Western Australia
is
not to be missed!
THE GREAT SOUTHERN REGION
The Great Southern Region, almost 400 kilometers
south-east of Perth, on the Southern Ocean, spreads
from the coastal towns of Denmark and Albany to
the high-altitude towns of Mt Barker and Frankland
in the
north. The climate is near perfect for growing
vines, being generally cool, with dry summers
and wet
winters, while producing Riesling, Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines
of
complexity and intensity. The scenery in this
area is also stunning, with the Stirling and Porongurup
Ranges
providing a grand backdrop.
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