Sorry! No Chippendale dancers here ... just a lot of great Australian wine!
As with many things is Australia's history . . . wine down under is tied to both colonialism and to convicts! In 1788, the fleet of ships carrying Britain's export of convicts (convicted of one of 19 Crimes, mostly petty) made a stop in South Africa and along with various supplies, also picked up vine cuttings. It wasn't for another decade that any of the vines survived when two prisoners hailing from the Loire Valley landed in Australia. But, winemaking still didn't take off because, shocker, the two French convicts were largely frauds.
In the 1840s, immigrants from Bavaria, Prussia, Switzerland and even Ireland helped to commercialize Australia's wine.
Camden Park Estate, thought to be Australia's first commercial winery. After the arrival of phylloxera in 1885, the estate stopped producing wine.
Wine in Australia is dominated by Shiraz (Syrah), Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay with a decent amount of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. Australians coined the name Shiraz to highlight the distinct taste of their Syrah, famously there are notes of eucalyptus which grows everywhere and releases a distinct oil.
We aren't here to debate screw cap vs cork today (that day is coming)! But, we'd be remiss not to acknowledge Australia's part in the wave of screw caps gracing our tables. A Director at Yalumba winery (a family owned winery that has been planting since 1849) contacted a French company to help them eliminate cork taint. Le Bouchon manufactured the first screw cap specifically for wine in 1959. Today, most Australian wines are capped with screw cap and we're starting to see it spread to other countries as well. There are passionate supporters and detractors of screw cap closures ... but one things is true, it does eliminate cork taint!
Currently, we have three Australian wines in the shop and are looking forward to growing our collection. Stop in this week to try them all in our
Thunder Down Under Flight!
Hesketh Sauvignon Blanc: a classic, bright, acid driven Sauvignon Blanc from a family owned vineyard in South Australia.
Moondarra Pét-Nat: Okay, this is a fun one.
We're excited to share it with you.
A Chardonnay sparkling wine from Victoria.
She's tart! She has some banana notes, some green apple.
Some untameable wildness.
Tiny Paradoxes Shiraz: This is a certified Biodynamic and Organic Shiraz from South Australia's McLaren Vale. Full bodies, with notes of dark chocolate and black fruits.
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