wine TOUR

WINE REGIONS OF THE WORLD

Australia

Australia has a well-established wine industry, and its people consume more wine than those of any other English-speaking nation. Less than two per cent of the world’s wine comes from Australia, yet its wine industry has established an international reputation for creativity and experimentation – and some of the world’s most interesting wine “styles.” And Australian wines are rapidly growing in popularity – according to one source, Aussie exports to the U.S. have doubled in the past few years.

Best-known for reds like Shiraz, Australia has recently garnered international praise for its improvement in the quality of its whites, notably Chardonnay, Sémillion and Riesling. Over the past several years, the tiny town of Rutherglen has attracted wine lovers interested in sampling two excellent dessert wines, a Muscat and a Tokay, nicknamed “stickies” by the locals.

New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia (which produces about 60 per cent of the country’s wine) are some of the better known wine regions, while areas like Tasmania have begun to develop vineyards in recent years. There are about 50 registered wine regions on the continent, most clustered around its cooler southwestern and southeastern fringes.