For most people, when they think of Australia in wine terms, the tendency is to look at the country as a newcomer to wine making and viticulture. Nothing could be further from the truth. Australia has a rich and long wine making history dating back to 1788 when the first settlers planted vines at Paramatta, near Sidney.

For over 200 years, there have been vineyards and vintages from Australia and while New South Wales lays claim to the beginnings of Australian viticulture and viniculture, it was South Australia that became the wine powerhouse from the 1880’s onward due in part to the vine louse, Phylloxera.

After devastating the vineyards of Europe and the United States, Phylloxera was inadvertently introduced in Victoria and New South Wales. South Australia was spared the destruction due to a quarantine policy that continues to this day.

While the bulk of the wine comes from the large cooperatives along the Murray River, the “dry” vineyard areas of the state produce the majority of the great wines of the region and boast some of the oldest vines in the world, several over 100 years old. And while there are 17 distinct districts within South Australia, the most popular are the Barossa and Clare Valley, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek.

Located approximately 70 kilometres northeast of Adelaide is the Barossa Valley. A rich and profound history with a unique German influence dating back to 1847, the Barossa is one of the most famous wine regions of Australia. Taking its name from the Barossa Ranges, the area is rightly affirming not only its importance to the wine industry but the enormous value of its storehouse of century-old vines. Best known for its Shiraz, some of the oldest still live on in the Barossa, growing on low-yielding, non-irrigated bush vines, producing highly concentrated, lush, complex, rich, and full-bodied wines. Softened by some oak and loaded with juicy berry fruit, dark bitter chocolate and slight minty characteristics, Barossa Shiraz is renowned throughout the world as one of the best.

Located about a 130 kilometres north of Adelaide, the cool-climate Clare Valley is small by Australian standards, only accounting for around 2.5% of the nation’s total grape crush. However, Clare Valley wines are cool-climate wines that have a distinctive taste, freshness and delicate flavour of their own not produced in other regions. Winemakers have been attracted to the valley since as early as 1840 and today it is considered an exciting area for premium wine production. The climate and soil combination also produce premium examples of the ‘noble’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Shiraz, the quintessential Australian red variety.

The McLaren Vale Region is located just 45 minutes southeast of Adelaide, on the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula. Famous for producing some of the best Shiraz Australia has to offer, McLaren Vale is arguably one of the premier Shiraz-growing regions of the world and the variety is by far the most important variety for the region, accounting for about 50% of the total crush. The area's thin soils, limited water and warm Mediterranean summers contribute to Shiraz’s natural vigor and produce intense flavoured fruit and wine with a deep purple colour that can last decades in the bottle.

Located close to McLaren Vale is the Langhorne Creek area. Traditionally a red wine grape region, Langhorne is best known for its full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Named after Alfred Langhorne, who drove cattle overland from Sydney in 1841, this was one of the first wine growing districts in Australia and is now one of the fastest growing. Viticulture dates from the 1850s when Frank Potts established Bleasdale, the region's only winery to stay in continuous production.

Situated 381 km southeast of Adelaide, Coonawarra is one of Australia's premier wine producing regions. This is a unique region, identified by a tiny strip of terra rossa soil (rich red topsoil over porous limestone), which is approximately 15 km long and only 2 km wide. With this exceptional soil, passionate winemakers, and Cabernet Sauvignon as the star, the region has become a coveted place to plant both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Australia has a lot to offer, above and beyond those ubiquitous critter labels so next time you are browsing the Aussie aisle in you favourite wine shop, look for the region where the wine comes from. You just might find a hidden treasure.

Weekend Wine Picks:

The 2005 Tait ‘Ball Buster’ Shiraz ($39.90 PWS) from the Barossa Valley scores huge with the ‘WOW’ factor. This wine is every bit as ballsy and attention getting as its name implies. A luscious, full-throttle blend of Shiraz and equal parts Cabernet and Merlot, it delivers an inky, black/purple colour, sweet blackberry, creamy black cherry, violets, licorice, and vanilla with a hint of dark chocolate and bacon-like flavours. The stunning texture is loaded with juicy black plum, blackberry jam, vanilla, and licorice. Velvety smooth acidity, beautifully balanced tannins, and an exceptionally long aftertaste of black fruit, this wine is delicious to enjoy now but will reward with another 5-6 years of cellaring. 92/100 points by the Wine Advocate

One of the tastiest Aussie reds that continues to surprise and excite us, the 2006 McLaren on the Lake Shiraz ($13-$15 PWS & GLS) from the McLaren Vale region of South Australia is a delicious, supple tasting wine loaded with blackberry and black cherry jam-like aromas with creamy vanilla, chocolate, licorice, menthol and spicy cedar. Beautiful dark, rich colour, the palate is soft and full of ripe black fruit characteristics, a velvety, almost teeth-staining texture with ripe acidity and firm tannins on the long juicy finish. A great value wine for entertaining, this is finished with a screwcap for the ultimate in freshness.

Sourced from the Clare Valley, the 2003 Kilikanoon ‘Prodigal’ Grenache ($44.90 PWS) is produced from 46-60 year old Grenache vines, then was aged for two years in old French and American oak barrels and bottled unfiltered. This is a fabulous Grenache exhibiting delicious characteristics of blackberries, licorice mixed with black pepper, black cherry-like liqueur, raspberries, and chocolate. This is a rich, full-bodied, sumptuous wine with a heady concentration not usually found in Grenache. Drink this lavish wine over the next 5 years.

Coonawarra Cabernet for under $25 surely does not get any better than this. The 2005 Katnook ‘Coonawarra’ Cabernet Sauvignon ($24.90 PWS) is loaded with dark fruit aromas of cassis, blackberry, black plum, with hints of tobacco leaf, cocoa, vanilla, licorice, and mint. The texture on the palate is hedonistic with a succulent, juicy flavour of rich black fruit, menthol, vanilla, and chocolate pudding. Soft, velvety acidity and firm tannins on the long delicious finish. Enjoy now to 2012.

In just four vintages, Shaw & Smith has positioned itself right at the pinnacle of Australian shiraz-making with its best Adelaide Hills Shiraz yet. The 2005 Shaw & Smith Shiraz ($55.90) is produced mainly from Shiraz with just a splash of Viognier in the blend. The wine is an opaque black purple colour with a stunning aroma of vanilla, licorice, blackberry, cassis and peppery spice. Elegant and refined on the palate with a strong white pepper flavour followed by vanilla, blackberry, cassis, and Asian spice. Soft, lush acidity and ultra firm tannins with a long concentrated aftertaste. 95/100 points James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2008.

The 2005 Heartland Cabernet Sauvignon ($25.90) from the Langhorne Creek area absolutely astounded me with its concentrated, powerful, black fruit complexity! A heady aroma literally oozing with cassis and blackberry fruit with hints of licorice, menthol, toasty oak, smoked bacon and violets, this is a super intense warm style, chock full of powerful fruit beautifully balance by the French oak aging. The flavours just power on through with a rich mouthful of blackberry liqueur-like flavour with subtle hints of herbs and cocoa on the long flavourful finish. Quite simply, this is one of the best Cabernet’s on the market. A perfect example of a $20-$30 that tastes like $70. Look to pay twice as much for a California or French wine of equal intensity.

In Vino Veritas
Jim Martin