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Australian Wine Styles - Red Wine
Australia’s Red Grapes are one of the greatest assets held by the Australian Wine industry, so much so, it would be hard to even imagine a world without the classic Australian Shiraz, especially, among the world’s wine enthusiasts.
Blessed with abundant sunshine, Australian grapes are able to ripen to perfection under natural conditions. Whatever different qualities any particular red grape variety, grown in the country has, there always will be a part of Australia in all of Australia’s red grapes which, will making them uniquely Australian. The same prevail even with toughies like rustic Malbec or black-as-pitch Petit Verdot turning them in to a real treat!
Speaking generally, the warmer a wine region is it is highly likely wines produced in that region to be rich and full flavoured. Styles, many believe, as naturally having in Australian red wines. However, Australia too, has regions with cool climatic conditions well suited to red varieties, producing, lighter and more delicate red wine styles.
Almost all of the world’s classic premium red grape varieties can be found in abundance in Australia.
Cabernet Sauvignon is naturally at home amongst several Australian wine regions. The renowned Coonawarra terra rossa soils, now, as well as for over a century, have help produce excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, and when it come to sheer stylishness, only few other regions can match Western Australia’s Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon.
The tricky grape Pinot Noir fits in nicely in cooler regions. The versatile Shiraz thrives in virtually all but the coolest regions. Several of the milder climate regions are home to the Australian speciality wine, sparkling red Shiraz.
Whatever the type of red wine you are looking for, there is a fat chance, they probably are making the style you want, somewhere in Australia.
Discerning qualities of different grape varieties grown in Australia that goes in to making Australian Red Wine.
Barbera
An Italian variety successfully grown in Australia, Barbera is being used to producing an Australian red white that is full-on plummy fruitiness.
Cabernet Franc
Is used to making an Australian red wine with wild-strawberry and cherry fruitiness, which is slightly lighter in style than Shiraz and is good for drinking in warmer weather!
Cabernet Sauvignon (:cab-urn-ay so-vin-yon)
Australian red wines made of this type will normally be powerfully blackcurrently flavoured and full bodied. The minty types are from Coonawarra and Margaret River. Pure- fruited wines are from Yarra Valley in Victoria and wines with black currant and berry characters comes from McLaren Vale and Mudgee in New South Wales.
Grenache (:gren-ash)
A red grape variety from the Rhône, grown in Australia, Grenach produces a juicy rosé and fiery fortified Australian red wine, renowned for its sweet ripeness, high alcohol and low tannin.
Merlot (:mur-low)
This is not a type of grapes that is often seen grown alone in Australia, produces an Australian wine of fruity flavour and serious structure.
Mourvedre
A type of grapes mostly used in Australia’s bulk wines in the 1960s, produces a wine that is of spice and liquorice concentration.
Pinot Noir (:pea-no nwah)
A type of grapes that is challenging to grow in any part of the world, the wines tastes strawberry / raspberry- fruited when young, and gets increasingly more mushroomy and savoury with age.
Sangiovese
Among the Italian varieties both this type and Barbera have had the most success in Australia. Produces a wine with sour-cherry tones.
Shiraz (:she-rars)
A type of fruit with a uniquely Australian character, that is of a mulberry, spicy, slightly ‘wild’ flavour. Shiraz grown in the cool climatic regions are intensely spicy flavoured.
Tempranillo
Produces an Australian red wine that is of sweet, plumy berry flavour balanced by savoury, dry tannins. Fruits grown in warmer regions reveal sweeter fruity flavours and stronger tannins.
Zinfandel
Zinfandel grapes produce an Australian red wine with a high alcohol volume that is dense with intense flavours. |