By Gerd Hirschmann
posted
Oct 10, 2012
The largest and most populous continent, Asia, does not have a
strong wine consuming culture. Even as it is often seen as a large
potential market and a growing demand for wine, especially for
high-end wines in these boom days in China, it is still a small
fraction of the wine-consuming world. Success in exporting to the
continent has been elusive so far and attempts to further the
market are hampered by the latent production capacity of China
itself. There is already a fairly large amount of cheap table wine
being made, making China one of the top 10 countries in wine
production globally.
And if the consumption levels in China, Japan, Korea and other
Asian countries would dramatically increase, nobody would be better
situated than Australia to fill the appetite of those new wine
drinkers. Situated southeast of the Asian landmass in the South
Pacific Australia and New Zealand are relative newcomers to the
wine world, but have realized the potential of their terroir for
good quality wine production, that has seen its limits so far only
in demand but not in production possibilities.
Australia is among the heavyweights already, ranking sixth
globally.
Wine is an important agricultural commodity with a considerable
amount intended primarily for export markets. Though competition
from South American countries has stiffened, Australia is still the
second largest source of imported wines to the US after
Italy.
Wine is made in all of Australia's states, but it is the
southeastern part of the continent where most vineyards are to be
found in the states of Victoria, New South Wales, and South
Australia. The latter includes such acclaimed areas as McLaren
Vale, Barossa, Eden, and Claire Valleys as well as Coonawarra.
Victoria's wine regions include Rutherglen, Yarra Valley, and the
lesser-known areas of Bendigo, Heathcote, Goulburn Valley, and the
Mornington Peninsula; while New South Wales is best know for its
Hunter Valley, besides Mudgee, Riverina, and Murray Darling.
To complete the list of wine regions, Margaret River all the way
to the west in Western Australia and the island of Tasmania to the
south should be included, though there are fairly small in
comparison to the above.
Shiraz (or Syrah, as its called in the rest of the world) is the
undisputed king of grapes with over 100,000 acres under vine, but
Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon come in not far behind. Mostly
known for high-alcohol, fruit-driven, and full bodied wines
Australia's reputation has suffered in recent years from an over
abundance of simple, inexpensive high-volume brands that lack
character. But there are still complex, handcrafted wines that show
the real potential of the continent down-under. Look for some of
the higher end wines from McLaren Vale or Barossa Valley, with its
Mediterranean climate this is where Australia's reputation for good
wine all got its start.
Tagged:
Wine Experiments, Australia
