Are you excited about all that 2018 has to offer? So are we! We are looking forward to another year of bringing you the best wines from all over the world and we wanted to start the New Year by showing our support for one of one of our very favourite wine producing nations, Australia. Australia Day is on January 26th and we have decided to show our appreciation for their remarkable wine industry by celebrating all month long!
Did you know that the oldest winery in Australia is Wyndham Estate Winery? Located in New South Wales, it was established in 1828. We think that Australia’s wine industry is fascinating and we think you’ll agree, here are 10 things we found most interesting about the world of wine Down Under:
1. Australia is the fourth largest exporter of wine in the world, with around 700 000 000 litres of wine exported annually.
2. Over 1 billion litres of Australian wine are consumed each year, this math tells us that Australians really like drinking their own wine!
3. More than 2400 wineries thrive throughout Australia over 6 states, with the most planted varietal being Shiraz.
4. Australia has a large organic wine industry and has even hosted the International Biodynamic Wine Forum that includes organic and biodynamic vineyard owners from around the world.
5. The oldest Australian wine producing region is Barossa Valley, you may recognize this as the home of one of our favourite producers, Schild Estate.
6. Australia’s terrain did not originally produce any native grape varietals suitable for winemaking; all varietals for production were transplanted in order to create Australia’s wine industry.
7. Barossa Valley is home to old vine Shiraz and Grenache crops dating back as far as the 1840’s, Australia’s first vines arrived in Sydney in 1788, however it took some time for the vines to thrive.
8. Sometime around 1875, a devastating outbreak of phylloxera (tiny vine eating insects) nearly abolished Australia’s wine industry by destroying thousands of hectares of crops. The cure for this plague came from the discovery that American vines were not susceptible to the damages caused by the insects. American vines were planted and European vines were grafted into the plants, creating a hybrid that was immune to this disease, ultimately saving the Australian wine industry. It took almost a century for the Australian wine industry to recover from this disaster.
9. Following the phylloxera outbreak, Australia’s wine industry was mainly focussed on sweet, fortified wine production. Now, Australia is one of the only countries that produces every major style of wine and there are over 60 wine producing regions throughout the country.
10. Australian wines have won awards at almost every major international wine competition, while setting records worldwide for the price of a single bottle.
In celebration of this great nation, we will be offering discounts on all Australian wines the whole month of January, don’t miss your chance to stock your cellar with some of our Aussie favourites!
Check out our members only WineCollective store to find all Australian wines discounted an additional 10% off our already reduced member pricing!
Not a member? Use the coupon AUSTRALIAMONTH to receive $15 off your first delivery, and gain access to all the savings!
