Australian wine ranks among the world's best. More than 100 grape varieties are grown here, and the diversity of Australia's winemakers means you're sure to find something to surprise you – in the very best way.
Australian red wine is incredibly popular amongst wine aficionados for their depth and character. While the country is world-renowned for its refined Shiraz, it also produces other great reds like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, and some exquisite blends.
Australia wine has a slightly warmer climate and makes more graceful full-bodied wines with a high degree of acidity and alcohol. Wines made in the cooler southeastern part of Australia (Yarra Valley and Adelaide Hills) have more earthy tones and fruity flavours.
1. Italy. Italy takes its wine seriously: combine a long history of wine-making (all the way back to Greek colonization) with an ideal climate and over a million vineyards, and you can see why Italy takes the top spot as the world's wine producer.
Unsurprisingly, France tops the chart as the best wine producing country. The French are the second biggest producer globally, beaten only by Italy, and are responsible for 29.5% of global wine exports each year, according to analysis from WorldsTopExports.com.
Generally, the accepted characterization is that wines from the New World (such as Australia) tend to be more ripe, fruit-forward and round than wines from the Old World (such as France), which might show more structure and non-fruit notes of flint, spice and earth, but there are plenty of exceptions.
Trade Dispute With China Puts Australian Wine Industry In a Precarious Position. On March 26, 2021, after several months of restrictions, China's government imposed tariffs of 116–218% on bottled Australian wine imports through 2026. This effectively shut the doors on what was Australia's largest export market.
SHIRAZ. Bright, bold and full of personality, Shiraz is Australia's most popular variety. It grows in almost every wine region of Australia, accounts for one-quarter of total wine production and is our most exported wine.
Western Australia is known for producing some of the most elegant wines in the country, and Margaret River is the state's most famous wine region. Surrounded on three sides by ocean and sitting atop some of the world's oldest soils, the wines that are produced here are exceptional.
1. Barossa Valley, SA. The Barossa Valley is widely considered Australia's preeminent wine region, and for good reason. Here you'll find the oldest living vines not just in Australia, but probably the world.
Italy, France, and Spain were the top three producers of wine worldwide as of 2021. That year, France produced about 37.6 million hectoliters of wine. The climate, terrain, and soil quality in which the wine grapes are grown has a major influence on how the wine turns out.
New World wines are those wines produced outside the traditional winegrowing areas of Europe and the Middle East, in particular from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States (primarily California).
Adelaide is the wine capital of Australia - and one of the 11 Great Wine Capitals of the World, along side Bordeaux in France, Napa Valley in the US and Bilbao Rioja in Spain. The network of global wine capitals share a common asset: their internationally renowned wine regions.
Relations between the two countries began to deteriorate in 2018 due to growing concerns of Chinese political influence in various sectors of Australian society including the Government, universities and media as well as China's stance on the South China Sea dispute.
90 per cent of Australian and New Zealand wines are topped with screw caps. In the 1970s, corks were given and prioritized to the oldest, finest European winemakers. This left the wine market in Australia with unwanted, or inferior cork products, being too old, dry, crumbly, or yet easily breakable.
Treasury Wine Estates is Australia's largest wine producer, followed by Accolade Wines, Casella Family Brands, and Pernod Ricard Winemakers.
Pinot Noir is rated as the healthiest wine because of the high levels of resveratrol. It is made of grapes with thin skin, has low sugar, fewer calories, and low alcohol content. Sagrantino made in Italy contains the highest concentration of antioxidants and is packed with tannins.
' Shiraz is still king – it absolutely dominates the Aussie red category, as you'll discover in the list of winners below – but there's a growing appreciation for Mediterranean varieties, such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Barbera and Grenache.
The healthiest wine in the world is the robust red wine from Sardinia (one of the Blue Zones locations) called Cannonau. Sardinians are known to drink 3 to 4 small (3-ounce) glasses of Cannonau a day on average, spread out between breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late afternoon social hour in the village.
Georgia is generally considered the 'cradle of wine', as archaeologists have traced the world's first known wine creation back to the people of the South Caucasus in 6,000BC. These early Georgians discovered grape juice could be turned into wine by burying it underground for the winter.
Italy - A haven for wine lovers
When it comes to the best red wine, you'll want to look at regions such as Tuscany, Puglia, Veneto, Piemonte, Lambrusco and Sicily, where you'll find a variety of red wines to enjoy in the Italian sun.