Vineyards of Oz
Forget about the cutesy labels. It’s time to sample some of Australia’s grown-up wines By David Lawrason
Image credit: Alëna Skarina
A stroll past all the cuddly critter labels in the LCBO’s Australian wine section can leave the impression that the whole island continent is one big petting zoo. But there’s far more to Oz’s bright, generous wines than the vanilla-and-cherry-cola-dominated flavours of brands like the Little Penguin and Yellow Tail—especially among its rapidly growing class of regionally distinctive bottlings. Australia is almost as large as Europe and has nearly as many wine-friendly climatic zones and soil types. Its new appellation system, introduced in 1993, is beginning to catch up, with more than 70 regions and sub-regions bearing names as entertaining as Broke Fordwich, Manjimup and Wrattonbully. And some have begun to show specialties and clear distinctions. Though shiraz, for example, is grown across the continent, there’s a night and day difference between the masculine, earthy shiraz of the hot, arid Barossa Valley and the floral, feminine versions from cooler McLaren Vale. Cabernet sauvignon is ubiquitous as well, but out on the west coast in Margaret River it has racy, high-toned cassis and eucalyptus flavours, while back east in Coonawarra it’s more complex, with classic Bordeaux-like tobacco, olive and earthiness. Pinot noir is finding its legs in the Yarra Valley, riesling in Clare Valley, chardonnay in the Adelaide Hills, sparkling wine in Tasmania. And these are but a few of the more well-established regional wines, with more obscure specialties like marsanne in Goulburn Valley, or sémillon of Gundagai, a little-known new appellation between Canberra and Wagga Wagga. You may never buy a critter wine again.
TEST Originally published November 2007
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