Red Center, Cold Ocean
Harvey Steiman
Issue: October 15, 2005
If there is an overarching trend in Australian wine it is toward ever more specific geographical origins. Aussies realize that wines from a particular place are more distinct in character than those blended from the fruit of several regions, and that they can get higher prices for them.
Among fans of the wines, Australia's regions are already known for varying degrees of quality and value. Some areas are good at making inexpensive wine, others do particular varieties well, and some specific regions at the apex of the pyramid command big prices for their best wines. One way to sort out the tidal wave of Australian wines arriving on U.S. shores is to match specific types to individual regions.
These appellations have only recently acquired official status. The regulators have been dotting the i's and crossing the t's on a new appellation system, called Geographical Indications (GI) since 1994. (The guide in the following pages reflects the hierarchy.)
An example of a new official designation is the broad South Eastern Australia GI, which encompasses the country's three largest winegrowing states—South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Many of the bottles that carry this GI (SEA) sell for single-digit prices. Sometimes these fruity, straightforward wines are more enjoyable to drink than much more expensive bottles.
To better understand this appellation's structure, it might help to imagine SEA as California if it were divided into three states, each encompassing a portion of the real state's vast Central Valley, whence comes most of California's everyday wines. As the regions extend inland, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales each include a portion of a vast hot area equivalent to the Central Valley that supports many high-yielding, some might say industrial, vineyards. Together, these interior regions account for some 70 percent of all wine grapes grown in these three states. Not all the fruit goes into SEA wines; some of it goes into statewide blends.
The state-level GIs are the next step up in price, and often in quality, as the wines can show specific regional character. Victoria, for example, usually delivers wines with some crisp texture whereas South Australia's tend to be broader.
Within states, the GI system patterns itself after the appellations of Europe, although the nomenclature is slightly different. Small, specialized subregions nest inside a region, which itself exists inside a wider zone. Superzones comprise several zones, but their names seldom appear on labels. You won't see the terms "region," "subregion" or "zone," either, just the name of the GI.
Unlike the United States, which approved its American Viticultural Areas over decades as individual regions applied for them, Australia took a comprehensive approach: Grapegrowing areas over the entire country were mapped out all at once.
There were loud arguments over some boundaries, most notably those of Coonawarra in South Australia. There were court cases over names; what is now Wrattonbully started out as Koppamurra, until a winery with that name demanded financial compensation. But in the end, most of the original mapping was approved.
The following guide sketches the strengths and weaknesses of some of the various regions and identifies some familiar wines that carry these GIs on their labels. I've covered the key areas, but still only about one-third of the country's total winemaking territory. For a comprehensive list of Australian Geographical Indications, visit the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation's Web site, www.awbc.com.au, and select "wine regions."
SOUTH EASTERN AUSTRALIA
All the wine regions in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales fall into this broad appellation, but you can bet that, if the wine costs less than $10, most of the grapes came from the warm interior, not the cooler coastal areas. You might see wines labeled Riverland (South Australia), Riverina (New South Wales) and the Murray Valley, which straddles New South Wales and Victoria, but more likely the wines will carry the SEA designation. Quality in these hot regions ranges from poor to pretty darn good for the price.
Some high-priced wines also carry the South Eastern Australia designation. Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna uses grapes from cool regions in more than one state, for example.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
This state produces about 50 percent of Australia's wine. It includes high-profile winegrowing regions as well as vast interior vineyards that make more anonymous wines. Best-known: Penfolds Shiraz Grange and Bin 707.
Adelaide Hills
The low mountains surrounding the city of Adelaide face the ocean and, rising above their warmer surroundings, qualify Adelaide Hills as a cool wine region. Chardonnay does better here than anywhere else in South Australia; Sauvignon Blanc can get almost New Zealand-like zing and character. Shiraz tends to be crisp, and if Pinot Noir is going to do well anywhere in South Australia, Adelaide Hills is likely the place. Best-known: Petaluma Chardonnay and Tiers (subregion of Piccadilly); Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc.
Barossa Valley
One of Australia's marquee GIs, the very warm Barossa Valley makes rich, dark, gooey-textured Shiraz and is gaining a reputation for Grenache as well. Riesling and Sémillon make decent whites. Cabernet Sauvignons are also rich in texture, though seldom as complex as the best from elsewhere. Barossa (without the "valley") encompasses this GI plus Eden Valley. Best-known: Torbreck Shiraz (several); Elderton Shiraz Command; Penfolds Shiraz RWT; Barossa Valley Estate E&E Shiraz Black Pepper; St. Hallett Shiraz Old Block; Two Hands Shiraz Bella's Garden.
Eden Valley
In rolling hills at elevations of around 600 feet, this adjunct to Barossa Valley is a tad cooler and is one of the best places in Australia for Riesling. Shiraz from here can be every bit as rich as Shiraz from Barossa Valley. Best-known: Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone; Pewsey Vale Riesling.
Clare Valley
This picturesque string of hills, north of Barossa, is almost as warm as Eden Valley but gets enough cooling ocean breeze to make some of the very best Rieslings and lip-smacking Shiraz. Prices are not quite as high as those for comparable wines from Barossa. Best-known: Jim Barry Shiraz The Armagh; Leasingham Shiraz Classic Clare; Wendouree Shiraz and Cabernet blends; Grosset Riesling; Mount Horrocks Riesling Cordon Cut.
McLaren Vale
These rolling hills along the coast south of Adelaide grow a wide range of varieties, but the most distinctive wines are from Shiraz and old-vine Grenache. The higher elevations around the town of Clarendon, bordering on Adelaide Hills, are famous for Grenache. Best-known: d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm and The Grenache Ironstone Pressings; Rosemount Syrah Balmoral and GSM; Penny's Hill Shiraz; Wirra Wirra Shiraz RSW; Clarendon Hills Grenache (single vineyards).
Limestone Coast
Coonawarra, Padthaway and Wrattonbully are all within this zone, which occupies the somewhat cooler southeastern corner of the state. Best-known: Greg Norman Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Coonawarra
The prime vineyards are on terra rossa (red) soil overlying limestone, raised only a few feet over the flat landscape. Long regarded as Australia's best place for Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra is beginning to reassert itself after too many years of lackadaisical viticulture. The better, signature Cabernets deliver pure currant flavor and elegant structure. Shiraz wines tend to be crisp, sometimes green. Chardonnay can be surprisingly good. Best-known: Parker Coonawarra Estate; Wynns Black Label; Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon; Petaluma Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot.
Padthaway
Mostly flat, Padthaway has big vineyards owned by big growers. Everything from Chardonnay to Shiraz to Cabernet Sauvignon achieves enough depth of flavor to make some outstanding wines. Best-known: Henry's Drive Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon; Parsons Flat Shiraz; Lindemans Chardonnay Winemakers Reserve.
Wrattonbully
A hilly region situated between Coonawarra and Padthaway, Wrattonbully shares their terra rossa soil over limestone. The biggest wineries have sprawling vineyards here, with the fruit going mostly into Limestone Coast or South Australia bottlings. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the most successful. This GI should get a big boost later this year when the first wine appears from a high-profile project involving Brian Croser (ex-Petaluma) and Jean-Michel Cazes (Bordeaux's Château Lynch-Bages); their new Tapanappa red carries the Wrattonbully GI.
VICTORIA
Victoria comprises 15 percent of Australia's vineyards. Only Tasmania is farther south, and therefore cooler, but a large portion of Victoria's vineyards are in the hot interior along the state's northern border. The stuff that makes Victoria special comes from cooler regions around Melbourne, grouped in the Port Philip zone, and in the Great Dividing Range, grouped in the Central Victoria zone. Together, however, these cooler regions make only a fraction of the wine that South Australia's high-end regions do.
Yarra Valley
This lovely, bucolic valley has as many dairy and vegetable farms as vineyards. Although the emphasis is on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, warmer corners are suitable for a lively style of Shiraz. Most of the Cabernets come off as green, but some are highly regarded in Australia. Best-known: Yarra Yering Red; Coldstream Hills Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Reserve.
Mornington Peninsula
Southeast of Melbourne, past the suburban sprawl, vineyards dot the low hills. Pinot Noir is the great hope here, often displaying a freshness and balance not achieved in other regions. Chardonnay also does well. Best-known: Stonier Chardonnay.
Geelong
Across the bay from Mornington, this less developed region has had success with Pinot Noir and the occasional Shiraz in a crisp, earthy style. Best-known: Bannockburn Pinot Noir Reserve; By Farr Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
Central Victoria
This sprawling zone covers the nooks and crannies of the Great Dividing Range, so called because it separates coastal Victoria from the hot interior. The Bendigo, Goulburn and Heathcote regions are in it. Shiraz often sports racy acidity against ripe flavors dashed with black pepper character. Victorians are fond of the occasional Cabernet; others might find them tart. Best-known: Shiraz from Jasper Hill, Wild Duck Creek, Passing Clouds, Mitchelton and Tahbilk.
Western Victoria
The western end of the Dividing Range includes the Grampians and Pyrenees regions. Vineyards are few and far between, but the Shiraz can be special, in the crisp Victoria style. Best-known: Shiraz from Mount Langi Ghiran and Dalwhinnie; Taltarni Cabernet Sauvignon.
Northeastern Victoria
It gets pretty warm here, and the claims to fame are the stunningly beautiful fortified sweet Muscats and Muscadelles from Rutherglen. Glenrowan is a source for several similar wines made by big South Australian wineries. Best-known: Rare Muscats from Campbells, Chambers, Morris and Stanton & Killeen.
NEW SOUTH WALES
Visitors to Sydney, Australia's largest city, are within a couple hours' drive of Hunter Valley, the main reason this warm, wet region is as familiar as it is. At higher elevations, several regions west of Sydney, grouped as the Central Ranges, and even cooler regions farther south, make some interesting wines, but nothing classic yet. New South Wales produces 25 percent of Australia's wine.
Hunter Valley
Geared toward tourism, Hunter Valley makes reds that typically taste gamy, particularly Shiraz, and one unique white, Hunter Sémillon, which tastes crisp and minerally when young but with seven to 15 years of bottle age fleshes out into a distinctive, lanolin-rich wine. It's an acquired taste, but the wines have rabid fans. Best-known: McWilliams Sémillon Elizabeth; Tyrrells Sémillon Vat 1; Rosemount Chardonnay Roxburgh.
Central Ranges
The Mudgee, Cowra and Orange regions lie at elevations of 2,000 to 3,000 feet and are cooler and drier than Hunter. They make crisp styles and, truth be told, don't have a high batting average. But when they're good, they're distinctive. Best-known: Rosemount Shiraz-Cabernet Mudgee Mountain Blue.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
This huge state produces less than 4 percent of Australia's wine. Some regions around Perth, such as Swan Valley, Geographe and Blackwood Valley, produce wines of modest dimensions, but the prime wine spots lie farther south, strung along the coast.
Great Southern
Wines made near the towns of Albany and Denmark usually carry the Great Southern GI, which includes the subregions Frankland River and Mount Barker. These cool areas excel at Riesling and Chardonnay. Shiraz and Cabernet can be tart or green. Best-known: Frankland River Riesling Isolation Ridge; Plantagenet Shiraz.
Margaret River
This rocky peninsula runs north-south in the southwestern corner of Australia, jutting out at the meeting-point of the warm Indian Ocean and the cold Southern Ocean. The climate is moderate. Chardonnay does extremely well, especially in the southern portions, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc less well. Red varieties struggle to ripen, but the Cabernet Sauvignons have a great following in Australia, even if Americans often find them too green. Careful viticulture is starting to promise riper-tasting reds. Best-known: Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series; Devil's Lair Chardonnay; Pierro Chardonnay; Voyager Chardonnay; Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon.
TASMANIA
This island south of Victoria can claim Australia's coolest climate, and the wines show it. It's the great hope for Pinot Noir in Australia; the wines are typically crisp in texture, bright in flavor, seldom deep. They're working on it. Chardonnays are in the same mold. Pinot Gris and Riesling have distinctive profiles, with more citrus and mineral than mainland versions. Sparkling wines from here are highly prized in Australia but don't compete in U.S. markets. Tasmania makes less than 0.5 percent of Australia's wine. Pipers Brook is the largest of some 100 wineries, and most of the big wine companies have vineyards here.
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