adeleh

For our trip to Australia in August we have one day for the wineries outside of Sydney and one day for wineries of Adelaide.
We love red wine and know very very little about Australian wine.
Please tell us which wineries to see and the best way to see them. We could use a lesson or two on the Australia wines.
Thank you.

simpsonc510

I'm not what you would consider an expert, but I too like red wines. My husband and I have a glass or red with dinner most nights.

I would suggest the McLaren Vale while in Adelaide. I took a one-day tour and enjoyed it very much. I've not seen any wine areas out of Sydney so cannot make a suggestion.

If you were in Perth, I'd strongly suggest the Leeuwin winery. I bought some of their art series caberenet back in 1995 and it was really superb. You can't find it here in the midwest, so we purchased a couple of cases right after I returned from my trip. My DH bought a bottle in Switzerland and it was very high priced... but delicious!

Lyndie

The Hunter Valley (2.5 hrs by car north of Sydney) is famous for its quality wines and cheeses. Must dos are Scarborough & Bimbagen wineries. The tourist office on the main road to the wineries can help with maps etc. The cheese factory is great for a taste test of some great local produce. So many places to see around the Hunter Valley like Nelson Bay and Newcastle for their wonderful harbours and beaches. Have a great trip.

kstrueh

I can't call myself an expert, but I'm certainly an admirer. Spent some time this past Christmas around McLaren Vale south of Adelaide. They have a good wine country information center on the north edge of town with maps and pamphlets on area wineries and other attractions. I would really recommend lunch at d'Arenburg Winery's restaurant d'Arry's Verandah. It has lovely views, good food and good wine. You can reserve through their website www.darenberg.com.au.

Also north of town not too far from d'Arenburg are Chapel Hill Winery (a great old building) and Kay Brothers Amery Vineyards (great views and lots of family history). A little south of town is Hugh Hamilton Wines that has a lovely hilltop glass-enclosed tasting room. Unfortunately the day we tried to go there, they had a wedding reception booked, so I can't vouch for their wines. Check them out at www.hamiltonwines.com.au.

We also went a little west of town to Hugo Winery that was very accommodating.

I'm sure there are organized wine tours by bus out of Adelaide, but we had a car, which was certainly the most convenient. The area is an hour or less from downtown.

The archetypal Australian wine is of course Shiraz. It may be varietal or blended with grenache, mourvedre, or other grapes and comes in many styles ranging from light lunch wines to powerhouses. The Australians are fearless and heed no conventions when it comes to blending. You'll find combinations that would make the French cringe, such as a Chardonnay-Semillon blend. If you like the sweet stuff, many of the wineries will have a muscat or muscat liqueur. There is even one in McLaren Vale that specializes in honey mead (I'm thinking it was called Maxwell's).

If you are interested in bringing wine back home from the Adelaide area, there is a great wine shop, the Melbourne Street Wine Cellars, 93 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide (it is not at all far from downtown). John Swanson put together a mixed case of Shiraz for us that he shipped to Sydney (where we were departing back to the States). Shipping costs added about $2AU to the cost. We told him what style we liked (similar to d'Arenburg's Dead Arm Shiraz, one of the blockbusters)and he picked out things we would never have known how to choose. We carted the case home in one of those "stewardess-sized" carry-ons.

Karen Strueh

Daneille

For wineries outside of Sydney try Hunter Valley (great for all varieties) and not too far from Sydney or Mudgee. The Hunter Valley is really beautiful so if you can try and stay up there for a night - for a wonderful experience try Peppers Convent Guest House, or Cypress Lakes Resort (excellent golf there too if you're that way inclined). It will be a bit of a tough call to drive to the HV spend the day tasting wines and then drive all the way back to Sydney.

Australia has great varieties of red wines from the bold Shiraz to Cabernets to Merlots and Pinots and all the blends in between. Also great Chardonnay's and Verdelhos and Chablis - also worth trying are some of the fabulous fortifieds and dessert wines (although I reckon IMO that Victoria does these better).

Neil_Oz

Adeleh, if you want some background info go to www.wineaustralia.com.au, follow the links to 'National Wine Centre' then 'Wine Tourism' - you can then drill down to individual states, regions and wineries. The Hunter Valley, for example, has 131 wineries and 90 cellar doors, a bit of a challenge.

Yes, Maxwell's is the mead producer. The sweet mead when heated with spices makes a nice winter drink. And northern Victoria, specifically the Rutherglen region, is indeed the home of some outstanding fortified wines. Too far to drive for your purposes but you can buy them anywhere in Australia. Try a Morris liqueur muscat and see what you think.

Something else you won't find everywhere is sparkling Shiraz. Don't laugh, this is great stuff.

Daneille

Neil_Oz, you are a man after my own heart, Morris (Or Baileys) Liqueur Muscat and Tokay, mmmm yummy. Adeleh if you have not tried these fortifieds (sweeter than port and quite sticky) they are truly marvelous. Tokay has such a lovely raisin flavour. Delicious after dinner with coffee and cheeses.

MD

Nobody's mentioned Monty Python's "australian Table Wines" sketch?

"Chateau Loius San Wogga-wogga... This is a wine with a message and the message is 'Beware!'. This one really opens up the sliuces at both ends..."

crazymina

I'm not an expert. But I was amused when yesterday I went looking for a bottle to open and everything I have right now is Australian.

The wineries (Barossa) I have stuff from are (in case you're interested):

Turkey Flat
Two Hands
Rockford
Yalumba
Torbreck
Charles Melton
Langmeil
Penfold's

I can get some Grant Burge at home. And of course Rosemount and Yellowtail are the supermarket brands you can find here (although they don't compare to the stuff I tried in Oz). Thank God my friend is coming in April and bringing some more bottles!

Neil_Oz

I remember the Monty Python sketch set in the philosophy department of the University of Woollomooloo (all the professors were named "Bruce&quot but not the table wine sketch. We used to send some pretty terrible wines to the UK before we started making pretty terrible TV soaps to take their place, but fortunately got the last laugh. So far, anyway.

billbuckin

Australian wine has certainly come a long way from the days of drinking Fruity Lexia and Chablis out of the box. I was reading the local paper here in Montana and the story was about wine tasting at wine shops. The wine tastings were becoming more popular. It stated most people wanted to try foreign wines (rather than Californian) but when it came time to buy, then usually bought domestic. And most people would buy lighter, sweeter wines. White Zin was one of the most popular.

After drinking Australian wines, it is hard to imagine any one enjoying White Zin again. My point I guess is that people used to lighter Californian wines, may find Australian wines quite strong and difficult to get used to. Most wineries though have a wide range of whites, reds, drys and sweets, as well as after dinner wines. Some thing for every one. Most of the small wineries have the owners doing the servings, and are very knowledgable and are great educators on the process of wine making. No question is too dumb. You can really learn a lot just by talking with the staff.

If you like Red wine, you have come to the right place. Just watch out for the police, there is very little tolerance of drink drivers. Have a skipper, or look into tours.

Bottoms up.

Bill