The Wine Report Cover Story

"How are you going?" is the greeting Australians use for friends and tourists alike. To Americans, this is a very unusual “hello.” But since “How are you going?” means “How are you doing?” it makes perfect sense.

Australia, the oldest continent in the world, is nearly the size of the continental United States, but it has a population of just 20 million people; that’s only four times the population of the state of Georgia. The key symbols of the country? Happy-go-lucky crocodile hunters, joey-in-pouch kangaroos and cute koalas; and they all appeal to the American sense of independence and fun.

Likewise, in the last decade Australian wine has lassoed Americans’ interest. With winemaking icons such as Penfolds, Tyrrell’s and Grant Burge along with the ubiquitous Yellowtail and its critter cousins, Australia is pushing Italy for the top spot among foreign nations exporting wine to the United States.

Australia has produced wine since the 1830s. But unlike the United States, Australia’s wine industry has experienced no major impediments such as Prohibition or the phylloxera pest, which ruined many American vines. As a result, many of Australia’s best premium wines come from deliciously concentrated old vines.

Australians have a contagious “go for it” attitude about their country, their wine and their food. Still, with so much to see and do in Australia, it might be hard for tourists to decide where to start their journey. Fortunately, there’s an ideal launching pad for odysseys through the land down under.

Sydney
In Sydney, the country’s British heritage is immediately evident as the affable taxi drivers point out Hyde Park, Elizabeth Street and King Street, names found in most Aussie towns.

The Rocks area in Sydney boasts the Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Walk along the Circular Quay to view these iconic structures, or hire a jet boat to scoot around the various harbors. Try the new Skywalk at Sydney Tower, a one-and-a-half-hour walk for thrill seekers high above the city.

Nearby Bondi Beach glimmers with turquoise waves and mesmerizing breezes. The Woolloomooloo Bay area (the Aboriginal name for “small kangaroo”) sports a jazzy W Hotel at the old wool-shipments wharf-and Harry’s Café de Wheels, a food stand selling only marvelous meat pies with hunks of tender meat, incredibly fresh green peas and savory mashed potatoes.

Back at the Rocks, the Quay restaurant offers jaw-dropping views of that famed opera house and outstanding “sea treasures”: tuna sashimi (raw strips of fish) with green tea rice or crispy-skinned Murray River cod with oysters and mushrooms. Australia’s celebrity chef Neil Perry serves up Asian and local seafood specialties at Rockpool restaurant. And before you leave, head to Bill’s Café in the Darlinghurst area for fresh breakfast and lunch specialties. Or you could try cutting-edge cuisine at Glass, Iceberg, or La Sala.

Hunter Valley
Only two hours north of Sydney, Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s oldest wine districts. Similar to Napa Valley, Hunter Valley tourists can luxuriate at resorts or select balloon adventures or trail rides in addition to wine tasting. Studded with rolling hills and blessed with a near-subtropical climate, the area’s 80 wineries excel at making both white and red wine. Embodying the new, energetic generation of Australian winemakers, PJ Charteris is a gracious host at Brokenwood Winery, best known for Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz and IRL Reserve Semillon. Charteris practices what he calls “Bonzai” viticulture, keeping the vines small to develop more concentrated flavors in the grapes. He also favors screw caps, and he describes their benefits: “This way,” Charteris says, “my friend tells me she can talk on the phone, hold the baby and open a bottle of wine.”

Wyndham Estates is the oldest continuously operating winery in Australia; its first vintage was produced in 1830. Located on a picturesque spot by the Hunter River, Wyndham is known for its outstanding Bin 555 Shiraz and Sparkling Shiraz. The winery restaurant serves wonderful pizzas with smoked trout, onions and cheese along with fresh, crusty bread for dipping in local olive oil and a spice mixture with sesame seeds and dried peppers called dukkah.

Nearby Tyrrell’s Vineyards initiated the vat system, now the standard way of segregating specific barrels for aging. A winery tour reveals the original Vat 1, which put Hunter Valley on the map for Semillon, and Vat 47, where the first Australian Chardonnay was made (Vat 47 is also now the name of a popular Aussie wine brand).

South Australia And Kangaroo Island
Adelaide, the capital of the Australian state of South Australia, is known as the gateway to wine country and the “City of Festivals” for its many cultural events. Black swans float lazily on the River Torrens as it laces through town. Near the National Wine Center, North Terrace is a thoroughfare chockablock with museums and the Botanical Gardens.

Also known as the 20-minute city, Adelaide is laid out so that most of its attractions are within walking distance of central Victoria Square. The Central Market, an indoors gourmet extravaganza lined with pastry shops and food stalls, is a must-see. At the Big Table café, sit on a stool emblazoned with animal skins and savor breakfast egg-and-bacon sandwiches.

No trip to South Australia is complete without a visit to Kangaroo Island, just south of Adelaide via a 30-minute small plane hop or a 45-minute ferry. Kangaroo Islanders display pride in their wildlife, hospitality and pristine landscape. Drivers in this friendly community greet each other with a one-handed wave while passing on the road. This is also a place where one-third of the land is preserved as national park or conservation areas for wildlife-and only one-third of the roads are paved. That’s okay with Dyna Brown of Brookhaven, Ga. “We travel on paved roads at home every day. This reminds me of being out in nowhere, like in Africa, with amazing animals.”

Though Brown and her husband Al are frequent travelers, they were impressed with the hospitality of everyone on Kangaroo Island, especially Lyn and Graham Wheaton, proprietors of Stranraer House, a bed-and-breakfast also offering excellent dinners. An accomplished cook, Lyn serves marinated kangaroo-a deliciously tender meat that tastes like beef-and floating island meringues with fruit sauce. Gazing at the breakfast buffet with just-baked apple galette for dessert, Al simply said, “It doesn’t get much better than this.”

Near Penneshaw, on the eastern coast, the deck at Sunset Winery overlooks the Southern Ocean. The first of many cellar doors (Aussie for “tasting rooms”) on the island, the room’s warm blue-and-yellow interior décor matches the maritime scenery.

Dudley Partners winery is also situated on the coast next to the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse. While enjoying the ocean views, you can nosh on buckets of prawns or the antipasto platter, brimming with seafood, local cheeses, cured meats, olives and hummus. Co-owner and winegrower Jeff Howard says of his popular Shearing Shed Red, “We made the first barrel in the shearing shed and drank it all. We named it after its place of birth and it sells despite the name. Women seem to like this wine.”

Those women must be on to something. Jacques Lurton, owner of Islander Estates Vineyards and wine estates in France, Spain, Argentina and Chile, chose the island locale for its ideal maritime growing conditions. Danish-born winemaker Henrik Petersen makes the best of this location to craft a lively Shiraz Rosé, a deep, complex Malbec and a full-bodied Sangiovese.

Barossa Valley
Back on the mainland, Barossa Valley is 60 miles northwest of Adelaide. The epicenter of South Australia’s wine country, the Barossa is bordered by rolling hills to the east and west, creating a natural valley. Settlers from Germany arrived here in the early 1800s, and their work ethic and food- and wine-making talents are still evident in the multigenerational families producing wine, sausages, and cheese, which can be savored at restaurants Bar Vinum in Angaston and Appellation at Peppers Hermitage.

Most major wine companies have vineyards or wineries here, from Wolf Blass and Saltram’s, owned by the Foster’s Group, to Yalumba and Henschke. Many of Australia’s cult wineries such as Rockford, Charles Melton, Langmeil and St. Hallett are also in this valley.

Winemaker Grant Burge is a fifth-generation viticulturalist. Burge’s vineyards include Shiraz vines that are nearly 100 years old, providing depth of flavor for The Holy Trinity blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvèdre, and icon wines Meshach Shiraz and Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon. Grant Burge’s picturesque cellar door is located on Jacob’s Creek.

McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale is a bustling wine district 45 minutes south of Adelaide, with the moniker “where the vines meet the sea.” With 64 wineries in a geographically compressed region tucked below the Sellicks Hill and Mt. Lofty Ranges-and only a few miles from the Gulf of St. Vincent-McLaren Vale has a Mediterranean climate: cool, wet winters and long, warm, dry summers, ideal for premium wine producers.

Hardy’s Tintara and Chateau Reynella have been producing award-winning wines since the mid-1800s. And at Wirra Wirra Vineyards, winemaker Samantha Connew lights up the rustic tasting room with her stories about Mrs. Wigley’s Rosé, named not for the wife of the original nineteenth-century owner but for the winery cat of the same name. Church Block, a popular Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz-Merlot blend, is named for a vineyard next to a church, but also refers to the church artifacts-including a pipe organ-at the winery.

Get ready for fun at D’Arenberg’s cellar door. One long wall is plasteredwith cartoons of D’Arenberg’s humorously named wines, such as Dead Arm Shiraz, referring to the dead branches on old vines, and Footbolt, named for a racehorse that Joseph Osborn traded for the winery property in 1912.

The winemakers in the area are a close-knit group. Chester Osborn, third generation D’Arenberg winemaker, leads a project to encourage development of Grenache wine. The winemakers may be found enjoying a bottle or two at Limeburner’s Restaurant in McLaren Vale.

Adelaide Hills
A 20-minute drive southeast of Adelaide, Adelaide Hills is a cooler, higher-elevation region with 23 cellar doors, including Hahndorf Hill Winery, Shaw and Smith, Petaluma and Bird in Hand.

But it was probably Penfolds that put Australian wine on the map. Penfolds winemaker Peter Gago is a former science teacher who clearly articulates the careful selection methods to find the best grapes for Grange (Shiraz), the first internationally recognized wine from Australia.

Adelaide Hills is another strong culinary center. Memorable meals at Mt. Lofty House hotel range from the expansive breakfast buffet to duck liver parfait with brioche and port jelly at dinner. At Chain of Ponds Winery, the antipasto platter, loaded with Italian meats, cheese, oysters and lightly fried artichokes, rivals urban restaurants and pairs well with their Sangiovese.

But the modern haute cuisine at Penfolds Grange Winery restaurant is a fine way to top off a trip to the land of Oz, as Aussies call their native country. All the ingredients at the restaurant are chosen for their freshness and seasonality, from the Kangaroo Island yabby (crawfish) ravioli to Barossa Valley chicken breast to prune and Armagnac tart-all enjoyed with Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay, Grange and Reserve Pinot Noir.

So many places to go, sights to see, wines to taste and meals to savor. Save up the calories, bring the walking shoes and the sun hat, and head down under. You may amble from Sydney to Hunter Valley and the South Eastern wine regions, or you may want to explore the coastal wine regions near Perth in Margaret River-but that’s Australia’s Wild West, and a whole other story.

Wherever you venture, you’ll say, “How are you going?” to your friendly hosts, and you’ll know that you’re all doing just fine.

Aussie Lingo

A key to finding
your way around the
Australian version of the
English language:

"Bottle shop" =
Wine store

"Bush tucker" =
Native foods

"Cellar door"=
Wine tasting room

"Fair dinkum"=
Genuine article

"Flat white"=
Café au lait

"Grog"=
Beer, liquor

"How are you going?"=
How are you doing?

"Long black"=
Triple espresso

"Mate"=
Friend

"No worries"=
No problem

"Plonk"=
Cheap wine

"Short black"=
Espresso

"Warm black"=
Strong, black coffee