For Australian Business Migrants Considering the Wine Industry

If you are considering a business visa to Australia it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the different industries in Australia.  The Australian wine industry is one such industry that I am repeatedly asked about by clients considering Australian business immigration.

In this article I give an overview of the Australian wine industry with recommendations for some excellent Australian wines you can buy at your local wine shop to help you get a taste of Australia while you consider your Australian business visa options.

Australian wine has won an international reputation for quality and value. Australian wines have taken key international awards, competing favourably against longer-established national wine industries. Innovative Australian winemakers are sought internationally for their expertise.

Australia produces a full range of favoured wine styles, from full-bodied reds and deep, fruity whites through to sparkling, dessert and fortified styles. Prized Australian bottlings grace the menus of many of the world’s leading restaurants, while popular varietal and blended wines compete on the shelves of wine shops and supermarkets in over 80 countries around the world.

In global terms, Australia was ranked sixth in the list of world wine producers in 2005, producing 1.4 billion litres of wine. Australia is consistently one of the top 10 wine-producing countries in the world. Being such a large country with almost every climate and soil type, Australia is one of the few wine producers to make every one of the major wine styles.

Wine grape growing and winemaking are carried out in each of the six states and two mainland territories of Australia. The principal production areas are located in the south-east quarter of the Australian continent, in the states of South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

Wineries in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, in the Hunter River region north of Sydney in New South Wales and in Victoria played a major role in the development of the industry and continue to be important sources of fine wines. However, wine is produced in over 60 regions, reflecting the wide range of climates and soil types that exist across the continent. These areas include Mudgee, the Murrumbidgee River and Murray River valleys (New South Wales); the Southern Vales, Clare Valley and Riverland (South Australia); and Rutherglen and the Yarra Valley (Victoria). The states of Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland have smaller wine industries, which have grown rapidly in volume, quality and reputation. The region near Australia’s national capital, Canberra, has a recognised cool-climate wine industry.

Australian wine is made using a generous range of grape varieties. In 2006–07, shiraz was the most-produced variety, followed by chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. Premium white varieties other than chardonnay include semillon, riesling and sauvignon blanc. The main red wine varieties, other than shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, are merlot, grenache and pinot noir.

Wine is very much a part of Australian life, closely associated with both business and leisure. Wine consumption is often linked to the country’s outdoor-oriented lifestyle as well as to the cosmopolitan, urban way of life of the bulk of the Australian population.

Wine festivals, where local food and wine can be sampled, are a feature of cultural life in the major wine-producing regions of Australia. They draw many Australian holiday-makers and international visitors each year. The largest such festival is the biennial Tasting Australia, which takes place in South Australia.

Jeff Mucciarone interviewed Jim Fadden, retail sales manager with Martignetti Companies of New Hampshire in America about his take on Australian wines.

Describe Australian wines —  what makes them uniquely Australian?
First of all, Australia is rather new to the wine business, having had the first vines planted in 1788. It has only been since the late ’80s that they geared up their production for export. They are now the fourth-largest wine export country. We forget sometimes that Australia is a large continent with 74 wine-growing regions with varying growing conditions and soils. But what we mostly associate Australian wine with is the grapes grown in the Southern and New South Wales regions. The wines from here (both red and white) are known for their fruit-forward, easy-drinking style. They appeal to a wide range of consumers who don’t have to be wine geeks to enjoy them.

What do you like about Australian wines? What do you think they do best?
If you love their easy-drinking style then the next thing you like about them is affordability. They have a very good, easy-drinking/value ratio.

Name a wine that somebody who has never had or never liked wines from Australia should try, to convince them to explore more Australian wines.
It’s a red: Layer Cake Shiraz from the McLaren Vale district, a real diverse growing area with the Gulf of St. Vincent to their backs and the Terra Rosa Soils (red soil) on the hillsides. The different berry sizes produced in these microclimates blended together is what gives this wine its distinctive flavor. One hundred percent Shiraz aged in French oak barrels (50 percent new). This is one inky Shiraz, an explosion of dark, super-ripe berries with a touch of cigar box and exotic spices. This wine loves grilled lamb chops, and bring out your favorite blue cheese for this one.

Name three wines from Australia and explain why you like them and what features of Australian wines they best demonstrate.
Yellow Tail Chardonnay. The Yellow Tail wines are the fastest-growing wines in the history of wine-making. This is a quintessential fruit-forward, easy-drinking chardonnay, everybody-loves-it wine, for everyday enjoyment. You will never miss [by] serving this at your next family function.

Penfolds Koonunga Hills Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon. Blending is something the Australians have always done extremely well. This wine has good concentration of fruit and is in a drier style than most Shiraz at this price point; great flavors of blackberry with good gripping tannins. Extremely food-friendly; great with a lamb chop or barbecue.

Trevor Jones Jonesy Port. A Port? Australia? Yes, this is where it all started. They planted grapes in Australia to make their version of Ports, Sherries and dessert wines. (They call them stickies.) The problem with shipping wine, in those days by boat, was the bouncing ocean voyage and the heat the wine had to pass through when crossing the equator. These fortified wines with their added brandy cured these travel woes. Robert Parker once said of this wine, “What a sensational value! Extraordinary bouquet of sweet candied fruit intermixed with notions of maple syrup, earth and hazelnuts. This gorgeous tawny delivers plenty of pleasure.” Bring out the cheese platter for this one.