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Australia is more than Jacobs Creek
by: Darby Higgs
The Jacobs Creek Brand of wines have taken the world by storm. And so
they should. They are excellent Australian wines which are consistently
good. They have clearly won the battle for everyday wines at their
particular price range.
But they are a made from classical French grape varieties, Chardonnay,
Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. As such they represent the
successes of Australian winemaking in the 1980s and 1990s.
What will be the wines of the new century? As the wine boom of the 1990s
in Australia unfolded, a quiet revolution was taking place. The area
planted to grapes expanded rapidly to underpin massive increases in
production and exports of Australian wine. But a large number of
vignerons and winemakers were also planting alternative grape varieties.
The profile of the Australian wine scene has changed as dramatically as
the scale of production. During 2003 a new winery was opened in
Australia every day. About half of these new enterprises were growing or
using varieties other than the classics mentioned above.
As well as the less common French varieties, growers and winemakers have
been pioneering with Italian varieties such as Sangiovese, Barbera,
Nebbiolo and Arneis. We have also the Spanish stalwart Tempranillo being
increasingly favoured. Even the Russian red grape variety Saperavi is
being used. There are probably one hundred wine grape varieties now
being produced for commercial wine production. These new varieties are
being planted in traditional areas as well as in new wine regions.
Australia, like other new world wine producers is less inhibited to the
strong ties of tradition that permeate the European wine industry. Since
the start of the 1990s a strong predisposition for experimentation has
permeated the wine industry. Australian wine consumers are now adopting
this ethic.
It is safe to say that Chardonnay and Shiraz will continue to dominate
wine production in Australia for many years to come. But consumers will
have a much wider choice, and they are willing to be just a little
adventurous. You can follow the rapidly evolving Australian wine scene
at www.vinodiversity.com
About The Author
Darby Higgs is a wine writer and founder of Vinodiversity, a wine
information site dealing with wines made from unusual grape varieties in
Australia.
Article courtesy www.vinodiversity.com
and Article City.
email:
darby@vinodiversity.com
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