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Importers of Fine Wines Since 1919 | Resources for the Trade |
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Size MattersThe vine thrived, but wineries struggled. They either had to be small enough to sell to a limited local market or large enough to handle the big business of export. There was no middle ground. This economic polarization exists today. Although there are now some 1,600 wineries in Australia representing a 4.5 billion dollar enterprise, twenty companies are responsible for 90 percent of the country’s total production—and four companies produce most of that 90 percent. What makes Australia unique? Quite a few unique characteristics give Australian wine its special flair. In Europe, the vine clings to the warm edges of a cold continent. Down Under, the vine hangs on to the cool fringes of a hot one. In Australia, the soils are ancient and depleted—rainfall averages less than seven inches per year. These two factors curb a vine’s vegetative growth and focus all the plant’s energies on ripening fruit! The soils are distinctly saline and the salts are potassium rich. (In all the world, only portions of South Africa have a marginally similar soil profile.) As the vine pulls water from the ground, via its roots, it pulls this heart-healthy potassium too. The potassium is deposited in the grape, which is passed into the wine. Did you know that Drs. Lindeman and Penfold established wineries in Australia to produce wine as a heart tonic? What grows down under? Australia produces
There are no laws governing what grape varieties can be planted in Oz. Anyone can plant anything anywhere. The variety for which Australia is most renowned, however, is Shiraz. This is the same grape variety as Syrah, famed throughout the Rhône Valley of France. Cabernet Sauvignon is not far behind in popularity and in acreage. Red Grenache and Mourvédre (also known as Mataro) are grown in significant quantities also. Chardonnay challenges Shiraz for most acreage planted. It is Australia’s most popular white grape, although Semillon and Riesling make very popular commercial bottlings too.
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The big four wine giants of Oz are: Southcorp, Hardy Wine Company, Beringer/Blass, Orlando/Wyndham. The Aborigines of Australia are one of the few peoples on earth never to have crafted an alcoholic beverage. Domestic consumption of wine was curtailed by logistics early on. There is only one navigable river in Australia (the Murray) and drought will eliminate river traffic on it. In addition, there were few roadways or railroads. Without a means to transport goods, an extensive domestic wine market was slow to develop.
The vineyards in parts of Australia have never experienced widespread devastation by phylloxera, the native American root louse that decimated the vineyards of Europe in the late 1800s. Although phylloxera is present in Victoria and New South Wales, it is quarantined. Europe and the Americas combated phylloxera by grafting European grape varieties onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks. Most vines today are grafted grapevines…but not in Australia. In Australia, 75% of the vineyards are planted on their own roots. Dessert wines in Australia are known as “stickies”. When Syrah was taken to Oz, people were of the opinion that the grape had originated in Persia (modern-day Iran). They called the grape Shiraz after the city of Shiraz in that famed country. DNA research has proven that Syrah is actually indigenous to the Rhône Valley. It is a cross between two lesser known grapes: Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche. 
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Phylloxera kills the vine through the bite wounds it inflicts on its roots. These open wounds allow viruses and bacteria to enter the plant, weaken it, and kill it.