Australian Wine from
Alternative Grape Varieties

Australian wine regions and alternative grape varieties

Wine regions for varietal wines

Australian vineyards are established in a wide range of climates, reflecting the diverse environments of this vast continent.

An indicator of this diversity is found in James Halliday’s Wine Atlas of Australia. He identifies twenty-two zones containing over sixty wine regions throughout Australia.

The process of setting up legal definitions of Australian wine regions, known as Geographic Indications is nearly complete. But this is just the first step in developing an industry and a buying public based around the production, marketing, and appreciation of wines with regional characteristics.

The number of wineries is also increasing rapidly. Of the 2176 entries in James Halliday's Wine Companion Wine Companion about 230 were new to the 2007 edition. And interestingly, about half of the new wineries were using alternative varieties.

Between 1996 and 2002 the area under grapes in Australia has roughly doubled from about 75,000 hectares to well over 150,000. While large proportion of that increase is due to the activities of the mega-wine companies, there has been a significant growth in smaller and medium sized enterprises as well.

The new entrants need to be doing something to distinguish themselves from the pack. They cannot compete on price with the big companies so they need to find another selling point. Some are turning to new grape varieties and the results of their adventures are waiting in bottles for us to share.

By accident or design wine varieties tend to get clustered into particular regions. In the newer regions there seems to be more experimentation as the entrepreneurs and pioneers try to match terroir with appropriate varieties. Much of this process is still in the experimental phase.

In regions with established reputations this tends not happen. Coonawarra, for example, is almost completely devoted to classic varieties. When you are on such a good thing why change?

The happy hunting grounds for Vinodiversity are in the newer regions, those where no vines were grown until relatively recently, or where there has been an influx of new growers and makers. Here grape growers and winemakers are striving to make their mark.

Vinodiversity provides an alternative guide to the major Australian wine regions. These guides concentrate on the wines made from the lesser known varieties. We hope this guide will enhance your wine touring, and improve your appreciation of what the wide range of terroirs in Australia can offer.

It is time for you to join in and share the adventure. Start by exploring a few of the wine regions mentioned below. You will be guided to those innovative wineries who are using alternative varieties of wine grapes.

Explore these Australian wine regions