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A Guide to Australian Wines
Wine has been around for a long time, and some areas of the world have been producing for thousands of years. Australia's not one of them - it's been making wine only since Europeans came to this continent. However, within fifty years of European arrival, vineyards were appearing just about everywhere, and flourishing.
Over the course of the past century, the Australian wine industry has gotten noticed, and the results have been dramatic. At the beginning of the century, the entire continent was producing less than five million gallons every year. By the last quarter of the century, world attention had increased that figure to close to a hundred million gallons - Australia was on the map as far as wine went.
The wide range of soil conditions and climate types in this country are one of the things that makes it so good for producing wine. Many different kinds of grapes and wine are favored, with climates ranging from the hot and dry to the cool and damp, with some regions requiring irrigation. Parts of Australia's wine producing regions are very similar to the best ones in Europe.
There's a lot of clay and limestone in Australian soils, but the specifics vary just as much as temperature and rainfall. This means that winemakers can choose the type of grape that best fits their local soil, to get the best quality grape and the best yield for that variety.
Australian wine was unknown to most of the world for the majority of its existence - in the late 19th century, some judges insisted that the Victoria wines they had just rated so well couldn't possibly be Australian! However, by the fourth quarter of the twentieth century, the wine world had taken notice, and the first big boom occurred. The highest quality Australian wines got noticed, and production skyrocketed.
There was another boom, too - a more recent one favoring the least expensive Australian wines, which were exported everywhere. Interest has waned somewhat due to over-saturation, but there are still plenty of great wines on the market, even if they're not as fashionable as they were a few years ago. Good wine has nothing to do with what's in style, after all.
Australia is the world's fourth biggest wine exporter, and it has much to offer everyone. Spain, Italy, France and other major wine producers buy Australian wines as well as drinking their own. The country has been called one of wine's most powerful influences today.
If you'll be visiting Australia on your next holiday, don't forget to have a look at some of the country's excellent wine regions, and try a few wines. If you can't make it to Australia, be sure to look at the options the next time you buy wine for your table. There are some really great wines waiting for you to find them.
About the Author Looking for Margaret River Wines? Since inception in 1986 the Howard Park family has included the noble varietals of Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.
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