Buying Wine Online in Australia

Australian Wine

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:19:59 +0000

Australia may not have the centuries-old tradition of wine making that other countries can boast. In fact, Australians’ wine-making ambitions have only really blossomed in the last few decades. But what the Australian wine business lacks in history it makes up for in innovation and diversity, and it has become one of the most exciting international success stories of the 21st century.

In fact, you could say that Australia’s lack of an entrenched wine tradition is a huge advantage. It allows wine-makers to take the very best ingredients and practices from around the world and to develop them into superb wine that is uniquely Australian and highly exportable. And it is this spirit of innovation that has also made the Australian wine industry the worldwide leader in online wine buying.

And numbers don’t lie. Today, Australian wine sales total nearly 1.5 billion liters per year, with almost two thirds of that total being exported. In fact, Australia has become the fourth biggest exporter of wine in the world, behind the traditional wine-making countries of Italy, France, and Spain. The two biggest destinations for Australian wine are the U.S. and U.K., which through wine sales contribute $2 billion annually to the Australian economy.

History of Australian Wine

The first grape vines came to Australia in 1788 on the ship of Captain Arthur Phillip, who brought them from Brazil and South Africa. Soon thereafter, the first commercial wineries came about in the Sydney region, and by the mid-1800s the winemaking industry had spread through all the states, with the first tentative exports being made to the U.K. and elsewhere.

The dreaded Phylloxera, which decimated European vine crops in the mid-1800s, hit Australia around 1870 and severely damaged many young wineries. However, the southern states remained largely unaffected by the disease, which allowed southern wineries to gain a larger share of the international wine market.

But it was not until after the Second World War that the Australian wine industry really began to boom. During the war, Australian and international armed forces stationed in the country gave a huge boost to the Australian wine economy, which primed it for the postwar years of growth. After the war, a massive influx of immigrants from Europe brought centuries of winemaking know-how to the existing Australian wine industry and helped develop the incredible array of high-quality wines that we have now.

Australian Wine Now

Today, Australia has over 60 designated wine regions. And thanks to the amazing diversity of Australia’s soils and climate conditions, the country’s winemaking industry consists of every type of wine ever invented, including some special formulas that are uniquely Australian.

For whatever reason, wine making and natural beauty tend to go hand in hand, and this applies to Australia as much as anywhere else. The Australian wine regions have become major destinations for domestic and international tourism not only for their high-quality wines, but also for the beautiful climates and landscapes of the Australian countryside.

And of course, typical of the national character, Australians are also on the cutting edge of all the latest developments in making and selling wine. The development of organic and biodynamic wine making has been championed by many in the business, and Australian wines now make up one of the largest shares of the international biodynamic wine sales, particularly in the lucrative European high-end market.

Meanwhile, buying wine online is becoming the preferred method of many wine aficionados to gain access to wines that aren’t for sale in local shops. Online wine sales may still only be a small share of the market, but many industry analysts expect online wine buying to become a powerful force in the years come, as Australian wine makers and sellers continue to employ the latest technologies to develop their business.

Technorati Tags: Australian Wine, Australian Wine regions, Buy Wine Online, Buying Wine Online, Wine sales Online

Australian Wine Varieties

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:40:59 +0000

Although it can take a lifetime to sample the entire spectrum of Australian wine varieties, the most common types that you’ll encounter when buying wine online or at your local wine shop are pretty easy to define, and there aren’t too many of them. To help make it easier for wine beginners to choose what to buy, here’s a guide to the basic types of wine, along with some of the most common varieties.

Red Wine

Red wine is made from the pulp and skin of red or black grapes, which gives it its distinctive dark color. Because it uses the skin of the grape and contains a higher tannin content than other types of wine, its flavor tends to be more complex, stronger, and a little heavier.

Shiraz (or Syrah): This Australian specialty has a hearty, dark-fruity character that goes well with red meat dishes. It’s a versatile grape that’s used to make many mass-produced wines in addition to some of the finest, most elegant, and best-aging wines in the world.

Merlot: One of the gentlest of red wines, Merlot is perfect for anyone who is not yet accustomed to the taste of wine. It can have all the depth and complexity of fine red wines, but it’s also accessible.

Cabernet Sauvignon: This grape is grown in virtually all wine producing regions. It ages well, and it is often used to create unique blends with other varieties. When buying wine online, you’ll find many Cabernet blends.

White Wine

White wine is usually made from white grapes, but in other cases (such as White Zinfandel) it is made by pressing the juice from red grapes with minimal contact with stems and skin. It is generally softer, lighter, and more citrusy than red wine.

Chardonnay: This classic white never fades in popularity, and it is grown abundantly all over the world, from France, to the U.S., to Australia and New Zealand. With a rich, lemon-y flavor with hints of vanilla, fine Chardonnays tend to age very well.

Sauvignon blanc: This simple variety is the perfect introduction for newcomers to white wine. Going well with salad, seafood, and poultry, it has a subtle flavor with slight hints of fruitiness and herbs. Sauvignon blanc grows best in cooler wine regions such as southern Australia and northern Germany.

Semillon: From the southern region of France, this grape thrives in Australia and other southern hemisphere wine producing areas. With a rich, berry-like flavor, Semillon goes well with pastas and seafood.

Rosé Wine

Rosé wines are basically red wines that are removed from contact with the skin early in the fermentation process, which gives them a much lower tannin content and a lighter color. This results in a wine that has many qualities in common with its red wine counterparts, but with a much softer flavor.

Sparkling Wine

During the winemaking process, yeast fermentation breaks the natural sugars in the grape juice down into alcohol and carbon dioxide. In most wines, the carbon dioxide is mostly released into the air, while the alcohol remains. In sparkling wines, however, an extra step in the fermentation process bottles up some of that carbon dioxide, which results in the distinctive bubbliness that you’ll find in sparkling wines such as champagne.

Dessert Wines

Sweet wines are made by preserving some of the sugar that is normally broken down during the fermentation process. This is done either by harvesting the grapes later than usual, which results in more concentrated sugar content, or by removing the yeast early in the process, which causes the breakdown to stop while some of the sugars remain.

Technorati Tags: Australian red wines, Australian Wine, Australian Wine regions, Australian Wine Varieties, Buying Wine Online

Introduction to Australian Red Wines

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:07:59 +0000

Australian winemakers offer virtually every type of wine in the world, but the abundant sunshine and warm weather throughout much of the country makes it a perfect locale for the types of dark, luscious, full-flavored grapes used to make the finest red wines. And one of the great things about Australia’s wine regions is that you’ll find vastly different types of wines being made in close proximity to each other, sometimes even at the same vineyard.

When buying wine online, here are a few of the Australian red wines you can expect to find being sold widely.

Shiraz

Descended from the French Syrah vine, Shiraz is Australia’s biggest wine export, and it’s the variety that Australia is best known for to international wine consumers. It is also one of the most versatile grapes. Many of Australia’s large winemaking corporations produce moderately-priced Shiraz in abundance, which some argue has reduced the standing of Australian wine in recent years. But there are also many small winemakers producing Shirazes that are among the best Australian red wines. Shiraz is grown throughout Australia’s wine regions, from Heathcote in Victoria, to South Australia’s Clare Valley and Barossa, to Western Australia’s Margaret River region.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Second only to Shiraz in abundance and versatility, Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in New South Wales’s Mudgee region, the Yarra Valley in Victoria, the MacLaren Vale in South Australia, and beyond. In Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon’s old world subtlety combines with rich, fruity, and chocolaty undertones to make wines that are both worldly and uniquely Australian. Cabernet Sauvignon is also useful as a wine that blends well with other varieties such as Shiraz and Merlot.

Pinot Noir

The delicate Pinot Noir grape can only be grown in cooler winemaking regions such as Great Southern, the Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, the Adelaide Hills, and down in Tasmania. It’s difficult to cultivate, but Australian Pinot Noirs are worth the effort. The strawberry and raspberry undertones unique to Australian Pinots are best brought out when cellared for a few years in wooden barrels.

Barbera and Sangiovese

Of the many types of Italian vine cultivated in Australia, Barbera and Sangiovese are most common and grow best in Australia’s unique climates. The Sangioveses of the MacLaren Vale are gaining an international reputation for quality, while Barbera wines continue to grow in popularity among the country’s warmer, more northerly wine regions.

Mourvedre

Originated in the Rhone regions of southern France, the Mourvedre vine entered Australia in the mid-1900s and became a staple of the fortified wine business. Since then, particularly in the Barossa Valley, Australian winemakers have been producing some of the finest Mourvedres in the world.

Grenache

Also from the south of France, the Grenache vine was first brought to Australia by James Busby in 1832. Since then, it has thrived continuously in MacLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, and Clare Valley. Known for its luscious flavors and spicy, subtle aroma, Australian Grenache was long a an essential element of the fortified wine industry, but its incredible versatility has recently been put to use for a variety of other uses. Mid-range Grenaches are among Australia’s bestsellers, both with in-store sales and online wine buying.

Technorati Tags: Australian red wines, Australian Wine, Australian Wine regions, Buying Wine Online

Introduction to Australian White Wines

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:33:59 +0000

At first glance, Australia’s warm temperatures, abundant sunshine, and periodic rain showers seem most conducive to the hearty dark grapes that go into red wine. But there are plenty of cooler, shadier pockets throughout the southern edges of the country, and also in Tasmania, whose limestone-rich soils have proven that Australia can be a perfect locale for white grapes and the production of white wine. And modern growing methods, helped along by technology, have allowed white grapes to flourish throughout Australia’s wine regions at a rate that was not possible as recently as a few decades ago.

For newcomers to buying wine online, here are a few varieties of Australian white wines to watch out for. But, when buying wine online, remember that Australian winemakers are incredibly hardworking and resourceful, so they’re sure to be producing many more fine varieties of white wine than these.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay, one of the most versatile and easy-to-grow of white wine varieties, has been cultivated in Australia since the early 1900s, but it is only in the last 50 years that the grape has been widely cultivated. And it is even more recently that Australia has begun to produce some of the finest Chardonnays in the world. While the older Australian Chardonnays are known for their strong fruitiness and oak flavor, the newer varieties are renowned for their subtle, citrusy tones. For the best Australian Chardonnays, try anything from the Coonawarra region in South Australia, Margaret River in Western Australia, or the Yarra Valley in Victoria.

Sauvignon Blanc

Australian Sauvignon Blancs are growing in popularity worldwide, with their classic gooseberry tartness, a passion fruit sweetness, and citrusy acidic undertones. As elsewhere in the world, Sauvignon Blanc grapes grow best in cooler, wetter climates such as the southern reaches of Victoria and Tasmania. In these regions, you can find a relatively new but ever more sophisticated community of winemakers devoted to making fine Sauvignon Blancs.

Semillon

This peachy, mango-like variety of white wine grows well in the Barossa Valley of South Australia, Western Australia’s Margaret River, and the Riverina and Hunter Valley regions of New South Wales. Unlike many types of white wine, Australian Semillons age well, evolving over a few years from their youthful sweetness to a brilliantly subtle, honey-like and nutty classic.

Riesling

Riesling is another variety of Australian white wine that ages well. When buying wine online, look for Rieslings from the Clare and Barossa Valleys of South Australia or from Western Australia’s Great South region. These wines have a delicate balance of fruitiness and honey freshness that makes a perfect foundation for some of Australia’s best dessert wines.

Muscat

For another sweet wine, Australia’s Muscat’s can’t be topped by anyone in the world. Grown particularly in the Rutherglen wine region of Victoria, these sweet grapes produce a very special, tangily sweet wine that is one of the most popular dessert wines for both domestic and overseas wine buyers.

Viognier

Several adventurous Australian winemakers have taken on the difficult task of growing this southern French grape, which produces a delicate wine with a strong aroma, low acidity, and a tasteful softness that makes it one of Australia’s finest wines. When buying wine online, you may encounter some pricey Viognier’s, but several Australian varieties, particularly those from the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria and South Australia’s Eden Valley, are well worth the price.

Technorati Tags: Australian white wines, Australian Wine, Australian Wine regions, Buying Wine Online

Advantages of Buying Wine Online

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:39:59 +0000

For both consumers and sellers, buying wine online is a win-win proposition. For wine merchants who set up online shops, the internet provides almost unlimited access to a vast pool of potential buyers who were simply unreachable before. And as buyers, the internet gives us more choices than ever, and it gives us access to more knowledge, reviews, and background information to help us make our online wine buying decisions.

But beyond those general points, here are a few of the main advantages to buying wine online:

1. More choices: I love my local wine shop, and I’ll probably always go there for certain things. However, there are many types of rare and fine wines that my local shop doesn’t carry. Sure, they can order things for me, but I’ve found that buying wine online is cheaper and much faster than having the local shop order things. In fact, many online wine shops offer prices that are very competitive with their real-world counterparts, and shipping is not as pricey as you may think. In fact, there are some very good deals on shipping, if you look the right places.

2. Access to smaller winemakers: You could say that it’s important to support the friendly local wine shop, and I agree, which is part of why I’ll never stop going there. However, one of the great things about buying wine online is that it allows you to support sections of the wine industry that you could never support before. For example, Australia has thousands of small wineries that do business on a small-scale, mainly through local sales and wine tourism. But now, many small wine stores are beginning to offer their wines online, which gives us the chance for the first time to sample everything the country has to offer.

In other words, if you live in, say, New South Wales, have you ever wanted to try what the small wineries of South Australia’s Great Southern wine region have to offer? Thanks to online wine buying, now you can do just that.

3. Easy to shop around: To compare prices at real-world wine stores requires extensive footwork, to say the least. With online wine stores, it takes just a few clicks. Essentially, online wine buying intensifies the competition between different stores, which makes a very good situation for us as consumers.

4. Reviews: In more good news for consumers, the internet makes it easier than ever to find out whether or not a product is all it’s cracked up to be, and it also makes it possible for us to discover unsung gems or new wines that are just hitting the market. The larger online wine stores have their own built-in review systems that allow users who sign up to rate wines and to write their own reviews. And there are plenty of unofficial wine review sites and wine critics’ blogs where you can familiarize yourself with the unique style and jargon associated with wine reviews, which will help prepare you to enter the world of online wine buying.

Technorati Tags: Australian Wine, Buying Wine Online, Wine sales Online

Best Australian Wines

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:39:59 +0000

The booming Australian wine industry has given rise to more Australian wine makers than we can count. Over 60 wine regions spread across the country offer an all-encompassing range of wine possibilities that seem only to expand and become more complex as the years pass. Australian wine making businesses of all sizes and traditions combine to support a healthy wine tourism industry, a growing share of the international wine business, and robust domestic wine sales.

Today, wine lovers in Australia and abroad are lucky that buying wine online gives access to brands and varieties of wine that we can’t easily find in our local wine shops. For Australian wine lovers in particular, buying wine online is a great way to sample the broad diversity of innovative and traditional wines that the country has to offer.

To cover all of the best Australian wines would require years of research and extensive volumes of prose, but here are just a few of the top Australian wines that are available for visitors to Australia’s wine regions or though the many sites that offer online wine sales.

Australian Red Wines

Yalumba The Signature Cabernet/Shiraz: From the Barossa Valley wine-producing region of South Australia, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from the venerable wine-makers at Yalumba has a dark, brooding taste, and a subtly fruity aroma with a powerful and smoky finish.

D’Arenberg d’Arrys Original Shiraz / Grenache: Operating out of the McLaren Valley in South Australia, the d’Arenberg winemakers have crafted this special blend in honor of their founder Frances d’Arenberg. With a bold, bright-red color, this luscious wine carries cinnamon and plum-like overtones with an herbal aroma and hints of caramel and coffee that give a strong finish. Descended from a successful d’Arrys Burgundy, this blend makes a strong case for becoming an Australian wine classic.

Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet/Merlot: This popular blend of cabernet and merlot from Western Australia wine maker Cullen has a tawny-red hue with a leathery nose and a powerful, complex flavor that only grows more subtle and rewarding with time. Store it in the cellar and give it a year or two to mature to its full potential, and then experience what many wine critics have hailed as one of the top wine vintages in Australia.

Chambers Rutherglen Muscat: For an affordable red wine, the Chambers Rutherglen Muscat is of an astonishingly high quality. With an inviting, dark hue, raisin-like aromas, and a clean flavor that goes down easily in the cooler months of the year, this Muscat is a fine offering from one of the oldest wineries in Victoria.

Australian White Wines

Grossett Polish Hill Riesling: Located in South Australia’s Clare Valley region, one of the oldest wine regions in the country, the Grossett winery produces this flavorful, fruity Riesling that emulates its German ancestors with a distinctly Australian jolt. Keep an eye out for the 2002, 2005, and 2007 vintages.

Giaconda RK Chardonnay: From the Beechworth region of northwestern Victoria, critically acclaimed Australian wine-makers Giaconda produce this classic-style Chardonnay with a sharp, fruity flavor and nutty, butterscotch-like aroma twisted with a slight bitterness. A little pricey, but give it a try on a special occasion.

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Sémillon: From the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Tyrell brings us this French-style classic that blends Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to make a light, sweet mixture whose warm, easy flavor is as memorable as its spicy, cinnamon aftertastes. The 1992 vintage is particularly memorable to wine connoisseurs, but Tyrrell continues to create a world-class Sémillon on a yearly basis.

Other Australian Wines

De Bortoli Noble One: The world famous Noble One from the one of Australia’s top wine makers De Bortoli is an award winning dessert wine with a complex, orange-like, creamy flavor and a sweet, nectary aroma that truly earns this wine its reputation. Try it with a nutty dessert or fruit pie. De Bortoli is also one of the top Australian wine makers for buying wine online.

Yarrabank Brut Cuvée: Made of white grapes from the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, this balanced and complex brut champagne is straw-gold in color with a fruity scent and floral palate. The famous 2004 vintage is understated, classy, and perfect for any occasion.

Charles Melton Rose of Virginia Rosé: Operating in the Barossa Valley, a popular region for wine tourism, the Charles Melton wine makers bring all their expertise into reinvigorating the long-neglected Rosé. With a cool pink coloring, a lively aroma, and a crisp, balanced, rich Rosé sweetness, Rose of Virginia is a great introduction to the innovation and adventurousness of Australian wine

Technorati Tags: Australian Wine, Best Australian Wines, Buying Wine Online

Australian Wine Regions

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:38:59 +0000

Australian Wine Regions: An Introduction

The wine regions of Australia are areas of natural beauty, agricultural abundance, and of course, great Australian wine. The hardworking wine makers of these regions provide a solid, sustainable foundation to an Australian wine business that is bound to continue thriving well into the future. Even during the recent relative downswing for the Australian wine industry, the diverse wine regions continue to do good business through wine tourism and online wine buying.

A Short History of Australian Wine

Australians have been making wine for over 200 years, but it’s only in the last two or three decades that Australian wine makers’ hard work has finally begun to pay dividends on an international scale.

Much of this success can be attributed to a burst of creativity and a flourishing of new Australian wine regions during the post-World War II period. In fact, there are large areas of Australia that, in soil quality and climate, seem almost magically perfect for winemaking. When you combine that with Australians’ resourcefulness and diversity, it was almost inevitable that Australia would eventually become a major player in the international wine business.

Now, as Australia threatens to unseat Spain, Italy, and France as the leader in international wine sales, nobody who is truly familiar with Australian wine is surprised.

However, since 2004, the Australian wine industry has hit its most first bump in the road. A drought, a temporary decline in the value of the Australian dollar. and increased competition from North and South American wines have put a dent in the international market share of Australian wine.

Although some overseas analysts have declared this to be the end of the upward trend in Australian wine sales, winemakers throughout Australia’s diverse wine regions are taking it all in stride. Wine tourism is bigger than ever, and many wine regions have organized tours that are popular for vacationers from both Australia and abroad. Meanwhile, online wine buying has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for the Australia’s over 2,000 small winemakers who, thanks to online wine sales, can now reach more customers in more places than ever before.

About Australian Wine Regions

Strict regulations ensure that Australian wine labels must give accurate information. They’re not allowed to make any false claims about where the grapes are grown and where the wine was made. Thanks to these regulations, Australian wine lovers are lucky in that we don’t have to wonder where the wine we buy really comes from. Other countries tend to have problems with this.

In general, the older Australian wine regions, particularly those in eastern New South Wales and Victoria, produce more Old World-style fine wines, while newer regions like those in South Australia and Western Australia are known for their experimentation and innovation. Of course, no matter what kind of wine you like best, you’re bound to find something to love in practically every major Australian wine region. And online wine buying makes it possible to try out practically as many different kinds of Australian wine as you have time for.

Major Australian Wine Regions

Moving roughly from east to west, here are some of Australian’s major wine regions:

Hunter Valley: Situated about 160 km northwest of Sydney and with the town of Pokolbin at its center, this is perhaps the oldest, most traditional wine region in the country. With dozens of wineries from small family-run companies to large multi-national corporations, Hunter Valley is one of the most popular wine tourism destinations in the world. Major wine varieties produced here include Shiraz, Semillon, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mudgee: Small wineries are common in this coastal region of New South Wales. With over forty functioning wine makers, the region is a popular destination for tourists who want to experience the country life and to try fine wines that are difficult to find anywhere else.

Riverina: This region offers scenic views of one of Australia’s most agriculturally productive and naturally beautiful regions. While it doesn’t get quite as much tourism as some other regions, Riverina is in fact the most productive winemaking region in New South Wales. Specialties include Semillon and Sauternes, two forms of sweet wine.

Heathcote: In Victoria, Heathcote is known for its production of high-end Shiraz wines to rival anything made in the Rhone Valley. Its wineries are relatively few and far between, but they’re popular destinations for lovers of fine wine.

Rutherglen: 17 unique wineries can be found within a short drive of the scenic small town of Rutherglen, Victoria. Known for its Muscat, tokay, and port style wines, the region produces many varieties that are the favorites of wine critics.

Yarra Valley: This Victoria region is known for its cool climate wines, including high-quality varieties of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz. Located just one hour by car outside of Melbourne, this region is a hotspot for tourists who want to visit several different wineries over a short weekend. The Grape Grazing Festival in mid-February is a popular attraction for locals and tourists alike.

Barossa Valley: The Barossa Valley is South Australia’s oldest and most productive region for fine wines. The region’s hot and dry climate makes it perfect for Chardonnay, Riesling, and Semillon. In the highlands, sweeping countryside vistas make this a popular region for both wine lovers and sightseers.

Fleurieu: The Fleurieu region spans a large section of coastal land in addition to Kangaroo Island. Unique soil qualities give rise to some truly special varieties of Sauvignon blanc, Merlot, Chardonnay, and some Bordeaux style wines. This region is perfect for wine lovers who also love sea breezes and beautiful beaches.

Western Australia: The many wine regions of Western Australia are much newer than their counterparts in South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, but they have an edge on the competition in the quality of their fine wines and in the beautiful natural landscapes that abound throughout the state. The coastal Margaret River region is ideal for cool climate wines, while the Swan Valley and Great Southern regions offer a great diversity of wines across their expansive territories.

Technorati Tags: Australian Wine, Australian Wine regions, Buying Wine Online

Wine Terms – A Glossary

admin — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:01:59 +0000

When you’re buying wine online, attending tastings, or reading reviews, you’re likely to encounter all kinds of weird terminology that is unique to the world of wine. But don’t be daunted. All these terms have simple definitions that are easy to learn.

Acidity: Acids, especially tartaric and malic acids, occur naturally in all types of wine. Too much acidity can give wine a sour or bitter flavor, while not enough can make it taste dull or flat.

Aftertaste: The unique flavors that linger in the mouth after a wine is drunk.

Aperitif: As opposed to most wines, which are commonly paired with meals, aperitifs are meant to be drunk without food or prior to a meal.

Balance: Ideally, the best wines should have an interesting balance of sweetness, acidity, tannins, and alcohol.

Body: The “weight” of wine in the mouth, resulting from abundance of flavors, alcohol content, or tannins.

Breathe: A wine breathes after it has been opened and exposed to the air in the room. For many wines, interaction with the gases in the air for anywhere between 10-30 minutes helps bring out flavors and enhance the body.

Buttery: You’ll often hear wines described as “buttery,” which in general means that the acids in the wine have been softened during the fermentation process, which makes them smoother, softer, and less acidic.

Complex: Used to describe a wine with many notably characteristics. The finest wines often have a balance between complexity and subtlety. They require many sips to pick up on all their special qualities.

Deep: Having many layers have flavor that unfold either through aging or exposure to air.

Dull: Lacking a basic level of acidity or tartness.

Flinty: Some wines contain a wealth of minerals that give the flavor rocky or stony undertones. In moderation, this can be a positive quality, reminiscent of spring water. However, too much flintiness can quickly become damaging to a wine’s balance.

Fruity: Since wine is made from grapes, you’d think that fruitiness would be standard. However, when wine reviews refer to a wine as “fruity,” they’re usually referring to subtler qualities. Some wines, for example, have citrusy or berry-like undertones.

Herby: Having qualities reminiscent of herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, etc.

Noble: Think of “noble” as a level above “fine.” The elite wines are noble, and by extension, the grapes that are used to make the finest wines are often referred to as the noble grapes.

Nose: The wine’s smell, which usually has a large effect on the wine’s flavor.

Tannin: Tannins are an essential element to all wines. Occurring naturally in grape seeds and skins, they are most present in red wines, and exist to lesser degrees in white wines. They give wine its bitterness, some of its acidity, and they are an essential part of any wine’s balance.

Woody: Tasting or smelling of wood, which often results from extensive aging in a barrel. In most contexts, this is negative, but on rare occasions it is used as a positive term.

Technorati Tags: Australian Red Wine, Australian White Wine, Australian Wine Terms, Buying Wine Online