French origin of Australian wines
Most Australian wines are made from grapes of French origin. But things may be changing. So with Graham and Greg, I made a recent visit to Australia’s Hunter Valley to explore the origins of Australian wines.
Grape vine cuttings came to Australia with the First Fleet of British settlers in 1788. They were picked up in the Cape of Good Hope on a stopover during the Fleet’s journey from London to Sydney Harbour. Thus, from the very first settlement there were attempts to plant and grow grapes in Sydney. These attempts were not immediately crowned with success, as settlers struggled with a very different climate and ecology.
As early as 1813 “free settlers” (as distinct from convicts) were permitted to settle in the Hunter Valley. And it did not take long for grapes to be grown and wine to be made by families like the Lindemans and the Tyrrells, with assistance from skilled labour from Germany. The Hunter led the development of Australia’s wine production.
Australia’s wine industry has gone through various phases. Over time, two French grape varieties, Semillon and Shiraz (“Syrah” in French) came to dominate Hunter wine production. This is curious in that these grapes are grown in two quite different French regions – Semillon in Bordeaux and Shiraz in the Rhône Valley – and the Hunter Valley is a very hot coastal region.
But with early harvesting, the Hunter manages to make excellent wines. In particular, Hunter Valley Semillon can be aged for 20 years or more. And as it ages, it turns golden and assumes nutty, honey flavours.
Recent decades have seen great efforts to grow the Chardonnay grape variety in the Hunter and elsewhere in Australia. Early attempts developed a bad reputation due to their heavy “oaky” flavour. Winemakers are now more successful in producing a refined, elegant and balanced wine. It is heartening that Australia is finally learning to make excellent Chardonnay. It is after all the great white wine variety of Burgundy, Chablis and Champagne’s Côte des Blancs.
Despite the great experience with Semillon, Shiraz and Chardonnay, Hunter Valley winemakers are now experimenting with other grape varieties like Alvarinho from Portugal and Spain, and Barbera from Italy. This move is generating promising results, something which is hardly surprising since the Hunter Valley’s climate and ecological conditions are more similar to these countries. And with the now palpable effects of climate change in Australia, shifting to warmer climate grape varieties makes eminent sense, a trend that could well accelerate in the years ahead.