Australian wine is incredibly diverse, ranging from elegant sparkling wines crafted in cold temperatures, to rich and powerful reds grown in sun-drenched vineyards. This dynamic wine scene was built on the foundation of the earliest varieties to be planted here. Today, these early varieties continue to dominate Australian wine, and they’re among our most popular wines.
Here’s a look at Australia’s six most popular varieties – and what makes these wines so delicious.
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. Shiraz has a long history here, and regions including the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale are home to some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world.
There’s no single style of Aussie Shiraz – winemakers produce styles ranging from delicious, everyday drinking to collectible fine wines. Warmer-climate regions such as the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale typically produce powerful, full-flavoured styles with bold fruity flavours. From cooler-climate regions like the Adelaide Hills, the Grampians and Mount Barker in the Great Southern, you can usually expect lighter, more elegant Shiraz wines, often with flavours of pepper and spice.
First vine plantings in Australia: early 1800s
Typical wine flavours: dark cherry, plum, chocolate
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful, intensely flavoured wine that’s been used in some of Australia’s most famous wines. Australia is home to what are believed to be the oldest productive Cabernet vines in the world, and today it’s the third most planted variety, after Shiraz and Chardonnay. It’s produced as a single-variety wine and is also a winemaker favourite for blending with other varieties, including Shiraz and Merlot.
Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines have typically been known for being big, bold and intensely flavoured, but you’ll also find a growing number of lighter, fresher Cabernet wines. One thing that sets Cabernet Sauvignon apart is its ability to age better than most other wines. High-quality Cabernet from regions like Coonawarra, Margaret River, Langhorne Creek and the Yarra Valley has the potential to age well for decades.
First vine plantings in Australia: mid-1800s
Typical wine flavours: blackberry, cherry, mint
PINOT NOIR
Pinot Noir has become a favourite in Australian restaurants and bars, and exports are on the rise. People love it for its bright red-fruit flavours, silky mouthfeel and ability to match easily with food. But whereas Shiraz is Australia’s easy-going grape, grown across the country, Pinot Noir is an extremely sensitive vine, making it one of the hardest to grow. It prefers cooler climates and found its feet in Australia when cool-climate regions like Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and Mornington Peninsula took off. Today its quality has never been better.
Australian Pinot Noir wines are silky, elegant and food-friendly, and are typically lighter in style than bold reds like Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s also one of the three grape varieties used in traditional method sparkling wine (the other two being Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier), with around half of Pinot grown in Australia used in sparkling wines.
First vine plantings in Australia: 1840s
Typical wine flavours: cherry, strawberry, raspberry
CHARDONNAY
Chardonnay is Australia’s most planted white variety, and accounts for half of white wine production. Like Shiraz, it’s grown all over the country and used to make a huge range of wine styles – there’s no such thing as a typical Aussie Chardonnay. Broadly speaking, there are three main styles in Australia: unoaked (fresh and vibrant), oaked (full-flavoured and creamy) and sparkling.
In the 1980s and 90s, Australia was known for its big, oaky styles of Chardonnay, but these days Chardonnay wines tend to be a bit more restrained and elegant. You’ll typically find lighter, brighter styles from cooler-climate regions like the Adelaide Hills, Tasmania and the Yarra Valley, and richer, more full-flavoured styles from warmer regions such as Margaret River and the Hunter Valley.
First vine plantings in Australia: 1830s
Typical wine flavours: citrus, peach, nuts
RIESLING
This delicate variety has been in Australia a long time, and Australia is now one of the world’s top Riesling producers. It grows in vineyards across the country and the best wines tend to come from cooler-climate regions – or places with particularly cold nights – like the Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Great Southern and Tasmania.
Australian Riesling wines are bright, fresh and aromatic, and are typically lighter than Chardonnay. It’s usually a dry wine but you’ll also find some off-dry and dessert wine styles. Most wines are made for immediate drinking, but some top-quality bottles from cool climates are capable of ageing well for many years.
First vine plantings in Australia: 1840s
Typical wine flavours: citrus, apple, honey
SEMILLON
Semillon (pronounced seh-mee-yon) is one of Australia’s most unique wines. Fresh, light and citrusy, young Semillon is a delicate drop that pairs beautifully with food. Unlike most white wines, some Australian Semillons also have the potential to age gracefully for years and even decades. These unique wines transform, developing a deep golden hue, with nutty, honeyed flavours.
Hunter Valley Semillon in particular is considered to be the best, most age-worthy example of dry Semillon wine produced anywhere in the world. You’ll also find top-quality Semillon from Margaret River (where it’s often blended with Sauvignon Blanc) and the Barossa Valley, and the best dessert wines come from the Riverina. Semillon has a long history in Australia, and thanks to a new wave of passionate winemakers it’s being rediscovered by wine lovers all over again.
First vine plantings in Australia: 1830s
Typical wine flavours: citrus, honey, apple
Want to learn more about Australian wine?
Download ‘Foundations of Australian wine’ to learn about Australia’s top wine regions and wine styles, along with the climate, soils and history that make Australia so unique.
