When it comes to wines, the first thing that comes to mind is France. Or is it? For long French wines have ruled the wine market, but recently new game players, particularly Australia, changed the scores. Although it wasn’t until the late 18th century that Australia started growing grapes, the country pretty quickly picked up the pace.
According to wine tasting event held at the Australia House in London in 2006, Aussie wines won the battle over the well-known French wines. Around 300 hundred advanced members and wine experts were asked to taste, smell and comment on different wines blindfolded. Their verdict was unanimous and Australian wines won the battle.
Whether it was because of this event or something else, since the world’s prime winemaker dropped from first to third place and the New World wines took over. Aussie wines are becoming the new ‘must try’ and more and more people buy Australian wine online rather than French ones. But what is it that makes Aussie wines a preferable choice for many?
How Wines Are Named – Australian winemakers label wines after the grape variety, whereas French winemakers name their wines after the origin (geographical location where wines are produced). Therefore, the fact that Aussie winemakers provide more detailed wine information and easy-to-read labels is one of the reasons many prefer to buy Australian wine online or offline.
The Climate Grapes Are Grown In – French grapes are grown in a cooler climate. Cool-climate regions like Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne – produce light-bodied wines that are high in acidity but low in alcohol. Australia has a bit warmer climate and produces more gracious full-bodied wines with high level of acidity and alcohol. Wines produced in the cooler southeast part of Australia (Yarra Valley and Adelaide Hills) feature more earthy tones and fruity flavours. Wines produced in the warmer parts (McLaren, Vale and Barossa) are known for intense fruity flavours and subtle minty notes. This is another advantage Aussie wines have over the French ones.
Etiquette vs Down Under – Recent studies show that the French wine production has significantly decreased in comparison to the Australian wine production. Why? Because of the way these two countries label and advertise their products. Australian wine labels are easier to read. Australian wine makers include the region where certain wine was produced and the type of grape variety used. Aussie wines feature characteristics of their grape variety, whereas French wine makers pay more attention on the terroir only. Terroir refers to the wine-growing environment including soil, climate and topography characteristics. Simply put, Australian wine makers provide more detailed information on the content of the wine.