Australians drink more than 530 million litres of wine a year – that’s an impressive 23 litres per person – and with a bunch of world-class wines on offer perhaps it’s not so surprising.
The country’s top drops, ranging from sauvignons to merlots to pinot gris, are highly sought after, and the places producing them are worth visiting for their fascinating histories, locations and characters.
Here are our top picks for the most extreme vineyards in Australia.
Oldest Winery
Wyndham Estate lies along the Hunter River in New South Wales. It was founded in 1828 when George Wyndham planted his first grapes at Dalwood with cuttings British botanist James Busby gave him. George released his first vintage seven years later to excellent reviews, and by the mid-1800s he was exporting to England and India.
Today Wyndham Estate continues to produce quality wine you’ll find it hard not to love. It’s grown far beyond anything George could have imagined. The Estate has won two Australian Tourism Awards, and combines expansive vineyards, historic buildings and manicured gardens, as well as a majestic outlook and heritage spanning the history of the Australian wine industry.
There are even barbecue facilities and lawns on the tree-studded banks of the Hunter River – perfect for family picnics – and a self-guided trail that meanders through the vineyards and offers you a glimpse back to the time of convicts, bushrangers and pioneering colonial families. Free tastings are available at the cellar door and there are daily master classes.
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Oldest Unbroken Vintage
Many wineries in Australia have been in existence for more than a century, but only Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley can boast of releasing an unbroken single vintage for that amount of time. It’s the only vineyard in the world with such a claim to fame; it has produced a vintage with unbroken lineage since 1878. Though it has undergone continuing restoration since it was founded in 1851, Seppeltsfield continues to embrace the vision of founders Joseph and son Benno Seppelt, and the Gravity Flow Winery, built on the hillside in a series of terraces in 1888, is still used today. If you like cabernet sauvignon, grenache or shiraz, this is the place for you, as they’re the winery’s mainstays. On the Seppeltsfield centenary tour you can also visit the Centennial Cellar and taste a tawny port made in your birth year directly from the barrel, as well as the company’s renowned 100-year-old vintage port. There is a working cooperage where the barrels are made, extensive heritage gardens, and – if you’re after a more working-class tipple – a German-style beer kiosk in the picnic grounds.
Tempt your palate matching food and wine at Seppeltsfield in the Barossa. #seppeltsfield #restaurantaustralia #barossa A photo posted by UWEA (@ultimatewineries) on
The Most Spiritual
One of the region’s oldest wineries is also one of its most unusual and picturesque. Sevenhill Cellars, In South Australia‘s Clare Valley, was founded in 1851 by Jesuit priests who had fled Austria to escape religious persecution. It remains the only winery operated by Jesuits today.
It is also still famous for its sacramental wine, though in recent years it’s branched out into table wines and now produces a wide range including riesling, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, as well as sherries, ports and liqueurs.
Brother John May is the latest in a line of seven Jesuit wine-makers and the vineyard has a remarkable religious and heritage character, with underground cellars storing fine vintages and the magnificent Anglo-gothic St Aloysius Church, which houses a crypt holding the remains of 41 Jesuit brothers.
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Most Remote
There are many contenders for this title, but Margaret River is arguably one of the most remote wine regions in the world. Tucked into Western Australia’s southwest corner, its rugged, natural beauty and spectacular coastlines have entranced people brave enough to make the journey for years, and the influence of the Indian Ocean ensures even temperatures for consistently excellent vintages. One of the region’s original wineries is Cape Mentelle, which pioneered many of the renowned wine styles and remains a benchmark for quality. Cape Mentelle is perhaps best known for its solid red varieties and for winning the prestigious Jimmy Watson Memorial Award in 1983 and 1984. Its cellar is open for tasting seven days a week and you can sample the current range as well as museum stock and cellar door exclusives. There are also behind-the-scenes vineyard and degustation tours if you want an in-depth look at the winemaking process.
This is how we roll… Saturday afternoon vino #capementelle #plonk #sydneysaturday A photo posted by Will Phillips (@wilberforce1980) on
Smallest Winery
The St. Laurence vineyard in Buxton St, Adelaide, was set up by Dominican friars in 2001 with just 150 shiraz vines. Just 10 minutes’ stroll from the hallowed cricket ground of the Adelaide Oval, the vineyard is not much larger than an average city building block. In a good year it produces just 50-60 cases of Priory Block Shiraz, which is described as medium-bodied shiraz with earthy overtones; this is aged in a combination of French and American oak to enhance but not dominate the wine’s full flavour.
Only a handful of people have had the chance to try it, so you might have to take the friars’ word that it’s good.
Featured image by Jamie C2009
