Why Not Try Australian Wine?

Like Australian people, the array of Australian wines is quite fascinating. All wines, sparkling or otherwise, red, rose or white are unique to the region where it is made, and the winemaker who crafts the wine. Australian wine has come a long way from when the first wine was available for sale domestically in 1820. A wide variety of wines, sparkling reds and whites, dry and blends are produced here.

The country's winemakers also have many awards and gold medals to their credit. In the 1873 Vienna Exhibition the French judges, tasting blind, praised some wines from Victoria, in Australia, but withdrew in protest when the origin of the wine was revealed, on the grounds that wines of that quality must clearly be French. Australian wines continued to win high honors in French competitions and still continue to dominate the wine-world in a big way.

Australian wine is a new-world wine –producing nation, whereas the European countries are considered the 'Old world' wine producing nations. Australia produces a wide array of wines, and is the fourth largest producer of wines in the world. Learning about Australian wine is easy and not complex as is the case with European wine. All Australian wines show the contents and origin clearly on their labels (often front and back), and the varieties used and the basic character of the wine. Many will also suggest the best foods to complement the wine, or the other way around!

Red wines have their deep colour due to the process in which the grapes are crushed along with their skins and seeds, allowing the pigmentation to enter to the juice, whereas white wines are made with the skins separated immediately after crushing. Australia produces superior red wine and this is attributed to the grape variety used.

A popular grape variety is Shiraz, which apart from giving consistent full-bodied wines with fascinating deep crimson colour, is famous for its rich ripe plum and pepper flavours. Other famous red wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, the classic red variety of Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be medium to full bodied, and are always well structured and elegant with pungent typically leafy like flavours. Other red wines are Merlot that is a softer with a 'rose petal' like flavor, Grearche , which is highly perfumed and soft, and Pinot Noir which is one of Australia's greatest sparkling wines.

Among Australia's white wines, the most popular is unquestionably Chardonnay, which is also the most important white grape variety around the world. Chardonnay in Australia produces sparkling and dry white wine styles with ripe melon flavours in warmer regions, and more peach and citrus like in the cooler areas. The oak flavour greatly complements the fruit flavors of Chardonnay and drunk after a maturation of 1-3 years. The other popular white varieties are Reisling, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, which is well-known for its perfumed, and delicate light bodied flavors. Like Australia, its wines seem to say, "Just enjoy!"

James Copper is a writer for http://www.cecwine.co.uk where you can find information on australian wine