Australia

• Adelaide HIlls
• Barossa Valley
• Coonawarra
• Geelong
• Margaret River
• McLaren Vale
• Mudgee
• South Australia
• Victoria
• Yarra Valley

Geelong is Australia's "comeback kid" wine region. Swiss settlers brought their knowledge of viniculture and viticulture with them to Geelong and other parts of what is now the state of Victoria in the 1840s. Unfortunately, Geelong's vineyards were uprooted when phylloxera arrived in 1875. Almost 100 years later, Daryl and Nini Sefton brought winemaking back to Geelong when they established Idyll Vineyard (now part of Littore Family Wines), beginning a new tradition of family-owned vineyards and wineries that persists today. Emphasis on hands-on winemaking, coupled with the characteristics of Geelong's three distinct sub-regions, give this Australian wine region a character all its own.

Coonawarra, one of Australia's best-known wine regions, began as a grazing range. Settlers who came from other parts of Australia and from Scotland bought up land in order to raise sheep. Somewhere along the way, an enterprising farmer noticed a strip of land with paprika-red soil. Today, that famously red earth, Coonawarra's terra rossa, is the foundation of the region's fame.

Australia's Yarra Valley is the oldest wine region in the state of Victoria. It's also one of Victoria's best-known tourist destinations. Just 28 miles from Melbourne, Victoria's capital, Yarra Valley attracts over two million visitors per year, according to the Tourism Victoria Research Unit. This historic wine region, only one hour's drive from Melbourne, is a world away from the skyscrapers and tram-filled streets of downtown.

Mudgee is the third-largest wine region in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mudgee got its unusual name from its original residents, the Wiradjuri Aborigines, but it got its start in wine production thanks to a group of 19th-century German settlers who came to Australia with winemaking expertise.

If you take a look at the Australian white wines available at a typical liquor store, you probably won't see much diversity. You'll find chardonnay and riesling, and perhaps pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. And, most likely, you'll be missing out on the amazing range of white wines available from Australian producers.

Barossa Valley is the best-known and, arguably, most important wine region in Australia. Any discussion of top Australian wineries or innovative winemakers will inevitably include some of the top names from Barossa Valley. The region is blessed with a wide variety of soils and a long history of family winemaking. At some Barossa Valley wineries, you can go back five or six generations to the area's original German-speaking settlers, ancestors of today's growers and winemakers. Barossa Valley's unique heritage is reflected in its top-quality wines, which come not only from large, long-established wineries but also from a new generation of boutique winemakers.

The Margaret River area is one of Australia's best-known wine regions. Although Margaret River produces only about three percent of Australia's wines, the region's wine producers make about 20 percent of Australia's "premium market" wines, according to the Margaret River Wine Association.

Australia 2009 90 D/H 2008 86 D 2007 85 D 2006 89 D 2005 90 D 2004 92 D 2003 88 D 2002 94 D/H 2001 92 D/H 2000 88 D 1999 90 D 1998 96 D 1997 88 D 1996 92 D 1995 88 D 1994 86 D 1993 88 D 1992 90 D 1991 88 D 1990 90 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge...