Wine
10 Facts About Australian Wine
You may drink a lot of Australian wine, but just how well do you know it? Take your wine knowledge to the next level with our top 10 facts on Australian wine.
Grand old grapevines
Fact 1: Our grapevines are some of the oldest in the world. In the 1800s, many established vineyards in Europe and Australia were destroyed by the phylloxera pest. But thanks to strict quarantine rules, South Australia remained unaffected.
Holding our own
Fact 2: Australia is the fifth largest wine producer in the world, and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere (although it vies with Argentina for both positions from year to year).
We like our wine and we cannot lie
Fact 3: On average, Australians consume 29.6 litres of wine each, annually.
The rest of the world likes our wine too
Fact 4: About two million bottles of wine leave Australia every day to go to 111 international markets – about 60% of our total wine production.
We like to keep it local
Fact 5: Australian wine reigns supreme in our local markets. So much so, that imported wine accounts for less than 20% of total market share.
We really like our whites
Fact 6:
White wine is the most popular type in the country, accounting for 45% of all domestic sales.
Reds aren’t far behind though, taking out a respectable 40%, followed by
Sparkling at 11%.
We think big
Fact 7: In Australia, there are
65 wine regions, each with its own unique topography, geography, climate and soils. Within these regions, more than 100 different grape varieties have been planted, however,
Shiraz and
Chardonnay are grown in every region.
Oldest to youngest
Fact 8:
Langmeil’s Freedom vineyard in the Barossa Valley is Australia oldest vineyard, which was planted in 1843. Mount Gambier in South Australia’s south east is the country’s newest wine region.
Premium prices
Fact 9: The most expensive bottle of Australian wine ever sold in the world is the Penfold’s 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon. It sold for $168,000 in 2012.
MVPs