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Australia
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Though Australia lacks the history and tradition of other top wine-producing countries like France and Italy, it has definitely made its mark on the international wine market in recent years. During the 1990s, winemaking and wine exports boomed in Australia. Though the market has come back to earth a bit in recent years, Australia is still the fourth-largest exporter of wine in the world. When casual wine drinkers think of Australian wine, they probably think of the critter-laden labels of Yellow Tail and The Little Penguin, among others. And while large wine companies dominate the Australian list, there are also a great number of smaller producers creating highly-rated, award-winning wines. The majority of Australian wine is produced in South Australia, with most of that (those “critter wines”) carrying a South Eastern Australia appellation. Subregions such as Barossa Valley, Coonawarra and McLaren Vale are home to smaller producers and higher quality wines. Victoria and New South Wales are also significant regions, and wines from Western Australia are reaching America in increasing numbers. Though Shiraz is the grape most associated with Australia, they’ve also had great success with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Grenache. |
Malbec
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Côt, Pressac, Auxerrois — Malbec wears numerous hats throughout the wine regions of France. At one time it was grown in more than 30 French wine areas and had as many as 400 synonyms. Malbec is one of the five permitted red grapes of Bordeaux, where it is grown in small quantities and used sparingly to add structure and color to the blend. In Southwest France, Malbec is the most widely planted grape of the Cahors region. There, it garnered the reputation with the English as the “black wine” of Cahors because of its powerful tannins and inky color. While there are some plantings of Malbec in California, it is of little significance commercially; tiny percentages of Malbec can be found in some Bordeaux-styled Meritage wines. Australia, South Africa and a handful of wine regions throughout the world have dabbled with this slightly fussy grape, which is sensitive to frost and mildew, but it is in the high altitude vineyards and dry climate of Argentina that Malbec outclasses most of these other variants, including those from France. The grape thrives just about anywhere in that arid, sunny land, producing wines that are as approachable as a juicy Merlot, though they may also be as structured and long-lived as a Cabernet Sauvignon. Full-bodied and packed with blackberry, dark cherry, olive, mulberry and plum, and sometimes laced with a dash of mocha, vanilla or tobacco, Malbec is anything but a skimpy red. |
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