Australia has been making wine for two centuries – from the time of the first European settlers. Pictured is an early image of workers at Penfolds (makers of Grange, Australia’s most prestigious red). Dr Penfold arrived in Australia in 1844, and began producing wine ‘for medicinal purposes’

A History Of Quality

Contrary to common understanding, the Australian wine industry traces more than 200 years of tradition.

With the First Fleet in 1788 – the first mass arrival of settlers from Europe to Australia – came vines and cuttings collected from various parts of ‘the old continent’, to be planted close to Sydney, the site of the first settlement.

Soon after, vines were planted in the Hunter Valley, and from there spread to other parts of Australia, creating wine regions that are now recognised internationally for their diversity of styles: Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Margaret River, Yarra Valley.

The early years of the Australian wine industry were primarily focused on fortified wine making: ports, muscat and tokay liqueurs, establishing firmly what Jancis Robinson has called “one of Australia’s greatest contributions to the world of wine” (the other being aged Hunter Valley Semillon). Much of these early fortified wines were exported to England, our key export market in those days.

Home to the nation’s peak wine industry organisations, the National Wine Centre of Australia is a must-see attraction for any visitor to Adelaide

Early success

Australia attracted international attention for its wines very early on in its history: indeed, it was at one of the earliest Expos, held in Vienna in 1874, that European judges were astounded when they realised they had awarded gold medals, under blind tasting conditions, to Australian wine. One of them was the 1872 Craiglee Shiraz, from Victoria. Initially, the judges refused to accept this was possible – they accused the organisers of substitution and ordered a re-taste. The second tasting revealed the same results – and yet how could wines from one of the ‘colonies’ match the greats from Europe!

A vision for the future

Australian wines really started to pick up international momentum from the late 1970s. Plantings increased, quality improved dramatically, and exports climbed. By the mid-1990s, the industry had grown so fast that a unified call was made to create a ‘vision for the future’ – to take stock of growth to date, and set our sights for the coming decades.

What resulted was a ground-breaking document entitled 'Strategy 2025', outlining the challenges the industry must face if we were to be a great player in the world of wine.

A glass of sunshine – fine wine and food served up in South Australia’s Barossa Valley

Even the group of visionaries who put this document together could not have predicted what followed: explosive growth of Australian wine on the global stage. Today, Australian wine holds the leading position in the UK, overtaking France and Italy, and is close to being the number one imported wine for the US market as well. Consumers throughout the world have spoken with their palates!

Dedication to quality

What forms the backbone of the Australian wine industry is a perpetual dedication to quality in both growing grapes and making wine. Our flexible system of Geographical Indicators allows winemakers the freedom to source grapes from any region, to blend grapes from any region, and to blend any variety of grape. Where else could one imagine a Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon blend?

‘Freedom’ is certainly the key word – freedom to experiment and innovate, with one intent only: to provide consumers with attractive wines of high quality and reasonable price.

Exasperating as it is for Australian wineries, Australian wine is yet to make its true strength felt in Japan; arguably, wine – as a part of food culture – is yet to find a home with Japanese consumers. But what Australia offers is a range of wine styles to meet all occasions: from wine for everyday drinking with a meal, to iconic wines appreciated by connoisseurs.

Take the opportunity to explore the breadth and depth of the Australian wine offering – and help make Aichi Expo another great turning point for Australian wine. Cheers!

Article by Benjamin Holt, Manager, Australian Wine Bureau Japan.

>> www.australiawine.jp