Australia’s new appellation system, introduced in 2001, defines boundaries and nothing more i.e. it does not dictate grape varieties, target yields etc. We list our wines according to these Geographical Indications (GIs)
For thousands of years before Christ, wine was being made here. This is where it all began as the staple of life, produced as routinely as fruit and bread. Fortified wine has the potential of high quality, but is rarely found with the exception of Commandaria, which was popular with the Knights Templar in the 12th Century. The best table wines are made from grapes grown on the slopes of the Troodos Mountain.
As a wine importer England has a long and illustrious history and as a producer it’s history is long, but little known. Wine making began with the Romans, but the vines they bought were not ideally suited to our colder climate. After the Norman conquest in 1066 winemaking flourished on a modest scale for 500 years. World War I, however, sounded the death knell for Britain’s commercial vineyards. The current revival started in the 1950s and now more than 500 well established vineyards produce over 250 000 cases every year.
Everywhere in the world that wine is made, France is the standard of comparison. A generation ago it would confidently have been asserted that France made all the best wines in the world, but recently in Sydney, Cape Town, San Francisco, Auckland and Santiago wine makers have risen to the challenge and now France has had to meet the new demands of full, fruity wines for everyday quaffing.
A relatively cool climate, probably the most marginal for growing grapes, has obliged German growers to search out the most suitable sites. The result is that many vineyards lie on south-facing slopes above rivers, thus benefiting from an equable and warmer climate. The character of German wine is most clearly seen when the Riesling grape is used producing freshness and elegance. Quality German wine is divided into two categories: Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete or QbA this is literally a quality wine from one of thirteen specified regions. Qualitatswein Mit Pradikat or QmP means a superior quality wine affirmed by ripeness. In ascending order of ripeness the categories are Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.
Of all of the wine producing countries east of Vienna, Hungary has for centuries had the most destinctive food and wine culture, the most developed native grape, and the most refined wine laws and customs.
Italy makes more wine than any other country, including France. It also produces a greater variety than any other country with more than 200 officially recognised wine zones. It now exploits its myriad micro climates to produce some very exciting wines that are good enough to rival the rest of the world.
The fact that Lebanon’s leading winemaker, Serge Hochar, can produce wines at all is remarkable, as the region is continually dogged by civil war. However, his persistance and a training in Bordeaux allow him to produce interesting, high quality wines.
Portugal is a land of contrasts being very narrow and occupying a mere seventh of the Iberian Peninsula, but few countries of its size can lay claim to as many different styles of wine. From a glass of dark, spicy port to a light, slightly sparkling Vinho Verde, no two wines are less alike. Portugal has adjacent areas now producing some very excellent red wines.
Spain produces a wide range of wines from fortified sherry to excellent sparklers and very fine reds and whites to everyday quaffing wines. The best quality areas are in the more northerly parts of Spain; Rioja Alta and Alvesa, Ribera del Duero and Penedes. Here the sun exposure is good but the nights are cooler.
