Australia coming to light

Australia has a rich history as a producer of big, bold wines. But the modern Australian wine scene is increasingly diverse, yielding a range of styles from classically bold and powerful to intricately nuanced and elegant, all crafted from an expansive palette of grape varieties. Even better, a growing number of producers are embracing sustainable farming and winemaking methods. Read on for the lowdown on what they’re up to Down Under.

SHIRAZ

Elegant and structured

The undisputed signature wine grape of Australia, Shiraz built a reputation over the years for big, ripe wines. And while those wines remain popular, modern Australian vintners have expanded their repertoire with the variety. Today, you also find more elegantly structured Shiraz from cooler climates such as Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley and Eden Valley, with some producers even using the variety to make wonderfully nuanced pink wines. And of course, beloved styles such as sparkling Shiraz and GSM (blends featuring Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro) continue to thrive.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Complex and balanced

Long the grape of choice in Western Australia, where it’s prized in single-varietal wines or in Bordeaux-inspired blends, Cabernet Sauvignon is increasingly finding a niche in other corners of Australia. Results are especially exciting in mountainous or coastal regions, where, like in classic Cabernet regions such as Bordeaux and Napa, the altitude or maritime influence (or both) allow the grape to ripen slowly and evenly to achieve great complexity, balance and structure.

PINOT NOIR

Expressive and nuanced

Famously fickle and exacting, Pinot Noir requires the precise conditions of a cool climate with just the right soil types in which to thrive. While historically this limited the variety mostly to the island of Tasmania and the coastal region of Victoria at Australia’s southeastern tip, dedicated producers have diligently sought out Pinot-friendly vineyards in other parts of the country. Wines grown at higher altitudes in such places as Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley and Eden Valley are increasingly impressive.

RIESLING

Restrained and delicate

Another grape that favours a cool climate, Riesling is a signature variety in Victoria. With its wonderful ability to express minerality, it’s also becoming a specialty in the rocky hills of Victoria’s Strathbogie Ranges. Depending on where it’s grown and how it’s handled in the vineyard and winery, Riesling can create wines ranging from bracingly bone-dry to richly sweet and everything in between. In the hands of skilled winemakers, these can be wines that last for decades.

CHARDONNAY

Sleek and crisp

The most famous white wine grape in the world is renowned for its versatility, and few places showcase that aspect of variety better than Australia. Producers can select from an almost endless toolkit of approaches and techniques, crafting wines ranging from big, robust and buttery to elegant, sleek and crisp depending on such factors as regional climate, soil type, earlier or later harvest times, malolactic conversion, and oak treatment versus concrete or stainless steel.

SEMILLON

Distinctive and long-lived

If Australia has a signature white wine variety, the honour probably goes to Semillon. The grape has been used for generations in the Hunter Valley to create distinctively complex, long-lived wines that are unquestionably the region’s claim to fame. Semillon can also thrive in other parts of Australia, and in some corners of the country is frequently found blended with Sauvignon Blanc, much like the classic white wines of Bordeaux.

SUSTAINABILITY STALWART

The sustainability movement is finding traction in Australia’s modern wine scene. At the heart of these efforts is Sustainable Winegrowing Australia: a voluntary national program to which an increasing number of growers and winemakers are adhering. The program aims to promote sustainability in the vineyard and winery through the environmental, social and economic aspects of businesses. An impressive 50% of its members are now certified, which represents a 235% growth in vineyard certification and 143% growth in winery certification in the 18 months ending in December 2023. To qualify for the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Certified trust mark use on a wine label, 85% of the grapes in the bottle must be from a certified vineyard and processed in a certified winery. Learn more about these sustainability initiatives in Australian wine at sustainablewinegrowing.com.au and initiatives across the LCBO at LCBO.com/sustainability.