WEIGHT, DENSITY, AND STRUCTURE ARE THE CROWN JEWELS OF THE REGION’S INLAND WINES by: Bob Paulinski, MW
Australia is a vast country with a diverse wine culture that stretches across more than 60 regions; in terms of production by volume, it currently ranks fifth globally. All this means that there’s a lot to sort out in order to make sense of the place—but if you dig deep into its story, you’ll be richly rewarded. It has built its reputation on a foundation of tradition, innovation, resourcefulness, resilience, and a refusal to be complacent. Some of those words may appear to be at odds, but in this part of the world the seeming contradictions work to create an environment for intriguing and compelling wines that are worth searching out.
Take Victoria as an example. The fascinatingly complex southernmost state in continental Australia has a history of wine production that dates back more than 170 years. Here, more than 20 wine regions boast the widest range of climates of any state in the country. To varying degrees, many of them are impacted by the cold waters of the Southern Ocean, though generally speaking, as you move north to more inland areas, the temperatures get progressively warmer. Diverse topography, including a myriad of mostly ancient soils, also comes into play. And then there’s the human element: Not content with the status quo, winemakers in Victoria are always pushing the boundaries when it comes to experimentation. These factors lay the groundwork for a
This Article was originally published on The SOMM Journal
