Australia

Question 1

Name 3 regions that make high quality Pinot Noir in Australia

Answer 1

Yarra Valley
Mornington Peninsula
Tasmania

Question 2

The dry conditions combined with high summer temperatures mean bush fires are a very real risk in certain areas. Explain how this affects the vine and vine growers can avoid this problem

Answer 2

Bush fires can destroy the vineyards and smoke contact with the grapes can cause a pungent taint in resulting wines.

Planting in sites with:
+ cool or moderate climates (e.g southerly latitude)
+ high-altitude locations

Question 3

Name cooling influences from Australia’s hot climate

Answer 3

+ Ocean
+ River
+ Altitude

Question 4

How does Shiraz contribute to a blend with Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia?

Answer 4

Shiraz gives softness and body to blends ,performing a similar role to Merlot in Bordeaux.

Question 5

Name 2 classic regions for Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia

Answer 5

Coonawarra

Margaret River

Question 6

Name one variety each from Italy and Spain gaining popularity in Australia

Answer 6

Sangiovese

Tempranillo

Question 7

What is the most planted white wine grape in Australia?

Answer 7

Chardonnay

Question 8

Which region is populer with Sauvignon Blanc in Australia?

Answer 8

Adelaide Hills

Question 9

What is the classic region for Semillon in Australia?

Describe its style

Answer 9

Hunter Valley.
Harvested early, with low sugar levels and a high acidity.
In the winery, contact with oxygen is kept at min. and inert vessels are used for fermentation and storage.
The resultant wines are light in alcohol and almost neutral in flavour when first bottled, yet they develop extraordinary flavours of honey and toast with bottle age.
The best of these wines can age for 20 years or more.

Question 10

Name 2 classic regions for Riesling in Australia

Answer 10

Eden Valley

Clare Valley

Question 11

Name 4 most famous grape varieties from Australia

Answer 11

full-bodied Shirazs
Lime flavoured Rieslings
elegant Cabernets
subtle Semillons that evolve for decades

Question 12

Which is not a high volume region in Australia?

a) Murray-Darling
b) Mornington Peninsula
c) Riverland
d) Riverina

Answer 12

b) Mornington Peninsula

Question 13

Which region makes botrytised wines from Semillon in Australia

Answer 13

Riverina

Question 14

Describe wines from Semillon in Barossa

Answer 14

Baross Valley traditionally made Semillon in a full-body, soft style.
Now they are increasingly made in a fresh, unoaked style from early picked grapes

Question 15

Name one notable red and white grape variety from Barossa Valley

Answer 15

Shiraz

Semillon

Question 16

Describe wines from Shiraz in Barossa

Answer 16

Ripe black fruit
Full Body
Soft tannin
Sweet spices from American oak
Leather from ageing

Question 17

Compare Riesling wines from Clare Valley and Mosel

Answer 17

Clare Valley:
Intense citrus and lime aromas
High acidity
Often bone dry in style 
With bottle age can develop honey and toast characters

Mosel:
Floral and green fruit flavours
Hallmark high acidity
Light body
Lower in alcohol often with residual sugar (eg. Kabinett)
Also can be aged in the bottle, honey, toast, petrol-like

Question 18

Describe Eden Valley Riesling

Answer 18

Intense lime and grapefruit aromas
A steely character
Marmalade and toasty characters after ten years of ageing

Question 19

Name grape specialites from Adelaide Hills, Australia

Answer 19

Sauvignon Blanc (refreshing)
Chardonnays (elegant with high natural acidities and pronounced citrus and peach aromas)
Pinot Noir (still and also grown for blending with Chardonnay for sparkling wine)

Question 20

Name the distinctive soil type in Coonawarra, Australia

Answer 20

Red, terra rossa soil (over a limestone subsoil)

Question 21

Explain natural factors for growing Cabernet Sauvignon in Coonawarra, Australia and describe the resulting wine

Answer 21

Under the influence of cold currents from the Antarctic, the maritime climate is moderate.
Cloud cover moderates summer temperatures.
The distinctive red, terra rossa soil over a limestone subsoil, produces concentrated, firmly structured red wines, particularly with hallmark cassis, eucalyptus or menthol aromas.

Question 22

Name wine speciality of Yarra Valley, Australia

Describe the wine

Answer 22

Pinot Noir
Rich in fruit, with strawberries, plums and dark cherries. Ripe and soft tannins
Added complexity from careful oak handling
The top producers make age-worthy wines.

Question 23

Important climatic factors in Heathcote, Australia and impact on Shiraz when compared with an example from Barossa

Answer 23

Heathcote is located inland
Cooling influences here come from altitude rather than the ocean giving a moderate climate.
Shiraz wines have a firmer structure and fresher fruit flavours than much warmer Barossa, where ripe black fruits flavours are typical.

Question 24

Regions that produce wine from old vine Shiraz in Australia

Answer 24

Barossa Valley
Eden Valley
Mc Laren Vale

Question 25

Name a region in Australia where Marsanne is the speciality

Answer 25

Goulburn Valley, Victoria

Question 26

Describe climatic factors in Hunter Valley and essential vineyard practices

Answer 26

Hunter Valley region has a hot, humid climate.
High cloud cover and ocean breezes reduce the effect of the heat in the peak of summer.
The region often suffers from unsettled rainy weather at harvest.
Good canopy management techniques are essential to minimise rot. (open canopy)

Question 27

Most planted grape in Hunter Valley and the characteristics of the wine it makes

Answer 27

Semillon.
The wines it makes tend to be light bodied, with low alcohol, high acidity and flavours that are initially rather neutral but evolve into a complex spectrum of toast, nut and honey flavours with bottle age.

Question 28

Describe Shiraz wine from Hunter Valley

Answer 28

Black fruit flavours (blackberry and cherry)
Soft tannins
Medium body
Earthy undertone

Question 29

Name grape specialites from Great Southern region, Australia

Answer 29

Cab Sauv (deep colur)
Shiraz (peppery)
Riesling (floral)

Question 30

Describe Cabernet Sauvignon style in Margaret River

Answer 30

Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended with Merlot in a Bordeaux-style blend.
A number of different styles are produced ranging from elegant and restrained to fruity and powerful.

Question 31

Describe Chardonnay style in Margaret River

Answer 31

Chardonnays display concentrated stone-fruit aromas and retain high levels of natural acidity
A range of styles are produced using barrel ageing and MLF to add complexity.

Question 32

Describe Sauvignon Blanc style in Margaret River

Answer 32

Sauvignon Blanc is often blended with Semillon

Resultant wines often have attractive gooseberry and tropical fruit aromas with high acidity.

Question 33

Describe climate of Australia

Answer 33

A diverse range of climates
Due to Australia’s latitude, main growing regions have warm or hot climates
Many of the regions are tempered by their proximity to either the Southern or Indian Ocean or the Murray River system.
Others, such as Adelaide Hills and Eden Valley, are cooled by altitude

Question 34

Describe natural risks in Australia

Answer 34

In many regions rainfall is low and irrigation in the growing season is essential.
Drought can be a significant problem and in extreme years even the Murray River, which provides a vital source of water for the inland vineyard areas of Riverland and Murray-Darling, can run low.
The dry conditions combined with high summer temperatures mean bush fires are a very real risk in certain areas.