Australian wines

Wine from Australia makes up fourth biggest wine exports in the world. Australia produces 760 million litres each year to earn the fourth biggest wine producer in the world distinction. It rakes in huge money for the Australian economy pegged at $5.5 billion annually.

Wine from Australia is made from various grape varieties such as Shiraz, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. There are no grape varieties indigenous to Australia. Most of these grapes come from France. Commercial winemakers in Australia make use of an approximate 130 different kinds of grapes to produce top quality wine from Australia. Australians are considered by critics as the most powerful influence in wine making today because of their general attitude towards wine making. They are highly innovative in their approach. They also learn various techniques by working as seasonal workers in other wine producing areas in the world during the off season at home. This makes them very skillful in the methods and knowledgeable in the techniques.

In Australia, GSM blend is used to refer to red wine made up of three main grape ingredients: Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre. The lightest grape of the three is the Grenache. It provides the light red colouring and the spicy flavouring. It produces the alcohol content and the fruity taste. Shiraz provides the body of the wine. It also produces the tannins and added colouring. Mourvèdre provides acidity to the blend, making it taste more elegant.

The most popular wine that Australia produces is the red wine called Penfolds Grange. This wine won Australia more than 50 gold medals in various wine competitions. Most critics call it the most exotic and highly concentrated wine. Other noteworthy wines produced in Australia include Torbreck Run Rig Henschke Hill of Grace, Clarendon Hills Astralis, D’Arenberg Dead Arm, and St Henri shiraz, one of the high quality Penfolds.