Australia has over 160 grape varieties distributed on 146,244 hectares (ha) across all six states,"National Vineyard Scan." Wine Australia. Accessed 9 July 2020. South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland (see Australian wine). These activities are concentrated largely in the southern part of the continent where the terroir - that is, soil types, local climate, availability of irrigation and so on - is suited to viticulture.Jones, Gregory. "Climate, Grapes, and Wine: Terroir and the Importance of Climate to Winegrape Production." GuildSomm, 12 August 2015. Accessed 20 March 2020.
Together, the three sectors of the industry, grape growing, winemaking and wine tourism, play a major role in Australia's economy. In the 2018–2019 financial year, they contributed AU$45.5 billion to the national income.Wine Australia. "Australian wine sector’s contribution to the Australian economy grows to $45.5 billion." Market Bulletin, Issue 178, Wine Australia, 2019. Accessed 18 March 2020. In addition, many other businesses benefit from the services they provide to the wine industry.
Wine grape varieties - overview
As of 2018,Karlsson, Britt. "Australia’s most popular grape varieties." Edited by Britt and Per Karlsson. BKWine, 23 September 2018. Accessed 20 March 2020. the ten most widely planted varieties were: Syrah (Shiraz),VIVC, "Syrah." 40,000 ha Cabernet Sauvignon,VIVC, "Cabernet Sauvignon." 25,000 ha Chardonnay,VIVC, "Chardonnay Blanc." 21,000 ha Merlot,VIVC, "Merlot Noir." 8,000 ha Sauvignon Blanc,VIVC, "Sauvignon Blanc." 6,000 ha Pinot Noir,VIVC, "Pinot Noir." 5,000 ha Sémillon,VIVC, "Sémillon." 5,000 ha Pinot Gris,VIVC, "Pinot Gris." 4,000 ha Riesling,VIVC, "Riesling Weiß." 3,000 ha Muscat of Alexandria,VIVC, "Muscat of Alexandria." 2,000 ha
Wine Australia's "Vintage Report 2020""National Vintage Report 2020." Wine Australia. Accessed 13 March 2021. said the largest crush was Shiraz ("376,000 tonnes, accounting for 25 per cent of the total crush") and the second-largest was Chardonnay ("285,000 tonnes").
While the grape varieties listed above have continued to be the backbone of the wine industry over time, growers have discovered less well-known and hardier varieties, especially from Spain, Portugal and Italy, which suit Australia's hot, dry conditions well. Now there are almost 160 other varieties in Australia's vineyards.
Some varieties, including those often called "rare varieties","Alternative Australian varieties: The ones to watch…" Wine Australia, 30 January 2017. Accessed 14 February 2021. are planted only in small quantities and are being used by winemakers for specialised products. Other varieties, including many already widely used overseas, are experiencing an ever-increasing demand in the Australian industry either for use in wines carrying their names on the labels or in the blending process.Douglas, Ellie. "Understanding wine blending: The basics." Decanter, 4 October 2016. Accessed 14 February 2021. These include Arneis,VIVC, "Arneis."Higgs, Darby. "Arneis White Wine Variety."VinodiversityBarbera,VIVC, "Barbera Nera."Higgs."Barbera Wine Variety in Australia." Vinodiversity Durif,VIVC, "Durif."Higgs. "Durif Red Wine Variety in Australia." Vinodiversity Fiano,VIVC, "Fiano."Higgs, "Fiano White Wine Variety." Vinodiversity Gamay Noir,VIVC, "Gamay Noir." Grüner Veltliner,VIVC, "Veltliner Grün."Higgs, Darby. "Grüner Veltliner in Australia." Vinodiversity Lagrein,VIVC, "Lagrein."Higgs. "Lagrein Wine in Australia." Vinodiversity Nebbiolo,VIVC, "Nebbiolo."Higgs. "Nebbiolo Red Wine Variety in Australia." Vinodiversity Sangiovese,VIVC, "Sangiovese."Higgs. "Sangiovese Red Wine Variety in Australia." Vinodiversity Saperavi,VIVC, "Saperavi."Higgs. "Saperavi Red Wine Variety." Vinodiversity Tannat,VIVC, "Tannat."Higgs. ""Tannat Red Wine Variety." Vinodiversity Tempranillo,VIVC, "Tempranillo."Higgs. "Tempranillo in Australia." Vinodiversity VermentinoVIVC, "Vermentino."Higgs. "Vermentino White Wine Variety." Vinodiversity and so on, all of which are dealt with below.
Government legislation and operation structures The wine industry operates under the Wine Australia Act 2013Wine Australia Act 2013. Federal Register of Legislation, No 161, 1980, Australian Government. Accessed 20 March 2020. and the Wine Australia Regulations 2018.Wine Australia Regulations 2018. Australian Government. Accessed 20 March 2020. They define the relationship between the Australian Government and the industry as a whole, including the grape growers, winemakers and various representative bodies, as exercised through the relevant Minister, set out the standards by which the industry must operate and penalties that will apply if these are not met, and establish two federal governing bodies, Wine Australia (WA) and the Geographical Indications Committee (GIC).
Wine Australia WA describes its function as supporting "a competitive wine sector by investing in research, development and extension (RD&E), growing domestic and international markets, protecting the reputation of Australian wine and administering the Export and Regional Wine Support Package.Wine Australia. "About Wine Australia." Accessed 21 March 2020.
The Wine Australia Act 2013 makes WA responsible for the enforcement of the rules and regulations regarding the labelling of wine. WA described these rules and regulations as "complex";Wine Australia. "Labelling." Accessed 20 March 2020. unsurprising because, apart from those set out in this Act, additional labelling requirements arise from the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code under the Legislation Act 2003,Legislation Act 2003. Federal Register of Legislation, No 139, 2003, Australian Government. Accessed 3 April 2020. the National Measurement Act 1960,National Measurement Act 1960. Federal Register of Legislation, No 64, 1960, Australian Government. and the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Federal Register of Legislation, No 51, 2010, Australian Government. Accessed 3 April 2010. Everything that appears on the label except the illustration is governed by legislation from one or more of these sources.
WA assists the industry by publishing and distributing guides that explain how the legislation should be interpreted.Australian Grape and Wine Authority. Compliance Guide for Australian Wine Producers. Australian Wine and Grape Authority, 2016. Online through Wine Australia. Accessed 4 April 2020. Specific to the information provided on the tables below in the columns headed "Grape" and "Location - growers and makers", the regulations governing the description of the grape variety and the region in which the grapes were grown are spelt out on WA's website.
Geographical Indications Committee GIC's primary role, as WA explains, is to "consider applications for the registration and omission of new Australian and foreign GIs (ie Geographical indications) having regard to the criteria set out in the Act, and in accordance with the administrative processes prescribed under the Act and the accompanying regulations."Wine Australia." Geographical Indications Committee." Accessed 20 March 2020.
Zones, regions and sub-regions Australia has 27 wine zones"Wine Zones of Australia." Wine Australia. Accessed 20 March 2020. within which there are 65 regions.Wine Australia. "Wine regions of Australia." 2017. Accessed 7 March 2020. Some contain smaller sub-regions of which there are 14. Each zone, region and subregion is located within a particular state, has a defined geographical boundary and has gained registration through the GIC according to the Wine Australia Act 2013. The operation of the GIC, the processes and criteria by which it determines whether a zone may or may not be registered, and other matters are laid out in "Division 4 – Australian geographical indications" of this Act.
After gaining registration through GIC, a zone, region or subregion gains a GI. This means that winemakers within the relevant zones, regions or sub-regions are allowed to label their products in specifically defined ways."Geographical Indications Guidelines: A Guide to Labelling with Geographical Indications." Wine Australia. Accessed 22 March 2020. This system is designed to protect consumers and investors against false claims and there are defined legal penalties for those who fail to follow the directives.
Some vineyards and wineries are operating in areas not qualified to be granted GI registration because there are too few similar businesses nearby. As has already happened elsewhere, with the ongoing growth of the wine industry and the establishment of new vineyards, some areas may eventually qualify for GI status.
Use of road transport Some winemakers make the bulk of their wine from grapes grown in their own vineyards. But many winemakers rely on other winegrowers to supply grape juice for their use, and not all winegrowers are winemakers as well. This means some winegrowers sell part or all of their output to others, and for an industry spread across all six states on a large continent, road transport plays a major role in moving stock from one place to another.
Reports on the actual volume of grapes and wine being transported each year are hard to find. In trying to calculate this by comparing the volume of grapes grown per region with the volume of where they were processed by region, Chris Quirk wrote of bulk transportation:"This is difficult to track but it could be in the order of half a million litres a week. It is therefore difficult to accurately compare the significance of one wine region over another. Modern technology has clouded the issue."
Robinson commented on this with some irony: "The importance of trucking should not be underestimated. The typical large winery is probably based in South Australia, often in the Barossa, but will buy in grapes from as far afield as Coonawarra, the irrigated interior and possibly even the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. (Conversely, it has been a source of persistent irritation to South Australians that they have long provided so much fruit to bolster the reputations of wineries based in New South Wales.)"Robinson, "Australia." Wine regions. Accessed 7 March 2020.
The problem in devising the Lists below from available sources was in determining whether wine regions showing in relation to each variety related to where it was grown or where it was used in producing an end-product. As a result, the column headed "Location - growers and makers" includes both.
Identifying a variety - the problem with homonyms and synonyms Wine grape varieties are usually known by what is called the "prime name", and it is under this name they tend to be listed in official and academic documents such as the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)Maul, Erika, et al. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC). Julius Kühn-Institut - Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants. Accessed 23 February 2020. and Kym Anderson et al.'s Which Winegrape is Grown Where?: A Global Empirical Picture.Anderson, Kym, and Signe Nelgen. Which Winegrape is Grown Where?: A Global Empirical Picture, Revised Edition. Edited by Kym Anderson and N R Aryal. University of Adelaide Press, 2020. Published online 2020. . Accessed 2 February 2021. In addition, varieties usually have alternative names known as homonyms and synonyms which have been applied for a wide range of reasons.Tassie, Libby."Vine identification – knowing what you have." Fact Sheet, August 2010. Grape and Wine Research Development Corporation. Available online from Wine Australia. Accessed 2 March 2021.