- Main white grapes:
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Semillon
- Australia is known for making the second best Sémillons in the world after only Bordeaux
- Riesling
- Main red grapes:
- Shiraz (what Syrah is called in Australia)
- This is Australia’s most prestigious grape variety with Penfold’s Grange being the most well known and expensive example.
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Grenache
- Pinot Noir
Many Australian wine makers (even with top wines) are less focused on terroir and more interested in creating complexity through the blending of grapes that come from various vineyards located throughout the island. The point of this is to create a consistent tasting product from year to year. That being said, the Label Integrity Program exists to provide the customer with certain guarantees about what is in each bottle.
The Label Integrity Program:
- Minimum 85 percent of the grapes must be the variety stated on the label
- Minimum 85 percent of the grapes must be from the vintage stated
- Minimum 85 percent of the grapes must be from state, region, subregion, or vineyard named on label
The Australian GI system works similarly to the US’s AVA system (see the example below).
- Country - Australia
- South Eastern Australia (a zone that encompasses the states of New South Wales, Victoria, part of South Australia, and part of Queensland)
- States - Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria
- Regions - Margaret River GI, Murray Darling GI, Yarra Valley GI
- Minimum 85 percent of the grapes must be from state, region, subregion, or vineyard named on label
- Is the leading wine producing state
- Top regions are Clare Valley, Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, and Adelaide Hills
- Is the second top producing wine state
- Known for great Shiraz and Chardonnay
- Hunter Valley is most important region here
- Top region is Margaret River
- Climate conditions and soil composition (gravel) resemble that of Bordeaux which may be the reason they excel at producing wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Sémillon, and Sauv Blanc
