Wine General Discussion

Over the last two months, our spotlight on Australia featured key regions and varieties with resources from Wine Australia, who have generously agreed to share their content with the Berlin

Wine School Community. To conclude the Australia overview, let’s take a look at how Australia's old vines and age-worthy wines have contributed to the country's global reputation.

📖Old vines key facts:

• The age at which a vine is considered "old" varies by country and region and is often not legally defined.

• Generally, it is considered that after the first 20 years, the vines’ yields start to decrease.

• Vine age can be an indicator of potential quality, but not a guarantee.

We’re excited to continue the 🌍🍷 “Wines of the World Series” with a spotlight on Australia. In the recent weeks, we’ve explored key regions with resources from Wine Australia, who have generously agreed to share their content with the Berlin Wine School Community. To broaden this overview, let’s take a look at two categories that have gained international acclaim since the early days of Australia’s winemaking: sparkling and fortified wines.

🍾Australia's Sparkling Wines:

• Sparkling wine production dates back to 1881, when the "Victoria Champagne Company" in Australia produced its first wine from Burgundy varieties.

• In 1893, the first sparkling wine from Shiraz was made, setting Australia’s sparkling reds as a unique and popular style.

• Australia’s sparkling reds are often medium to full-bodied, dry to off-dry, with medium acidity and low tannins.

• In the 1980s, cool-climate sparkling wines gained global popularity, highlighting Australian regions like Yarra Valley and Tasmania. Moët & Chandon…

We’re excited to continue the 🌍🍷 “Wines of the World Series” with a spotlight on Australia. We've been exploring key regions and varieties with resources from Wine Australia, who have generously agreed to share their content with the Berlin Wine School Community. One way to look at Australia’s wine regions is by climate type. We’ll conclude the exploration of Australia’s zones and regions with an overview of warm and hot continental climate regions and the “heartland”.

📖Heartland regions key facts:

• These regions are a “powerhouse” of Australia’s wine industry, producing large volumes of wine.

• Large-scale production in these regions and the tradition of big cooperatives have allowed for great international export success of Australian wine.

• The climate is hot or warm and irrigation required and enabled by the Murray-Darling river system.

• Many world-renowned wine brands as well as boutique producers are based in these regions.

We’re excited to continue the 🌍🍷 “Wines of the World Series” with a spotlight on Australia, exploring key regions and varieties with resources from Wine Australia, who have generously agreed to share their content with the Berlin Wine School Community. One way to look at Australia’s wine regions is by climate type. Let’s explore zones and regions with continental climate: Yarra Valley and Rutherglen.

📖Yarra Valley key facts:

• Due to its proximity to Melbourne, it was Victoria’s first major winegrowing district. The modern wine industry started in 1970’s.

• While considered continental, a part of it has a maritime influence resulting in lower diurnal range (difference between day and night temperatures).

• It is one of the cooler climate regions in Australia with a diverse landscape, topography, and microclimate.

• It has 2,837 ha of total vineyard area at altitudes between 30 to 400 m and varied soils (loamy sand and clay in the north; deep,…