Australia is the fourth largest exporter of wine, boasting over 2,000 wineries spread across 64 regions. One brand, Yellowtail, sells more than 40% of Australian wine consumed in the U.S., yet Australia’s wines are much more diverse than the statistics suggest. Whites and reds that are complex are made all over the country, from Yarra Valley’s sophisticated Pinot Noirs to Western Australia’s well-worn Cabernet blends. Dry, intense Rieslings from Australia are a treasure of the nation.
Australia Wine Producers A-F
Angove Family Winemakers
A native of Cornwall, England, Dr. William Angove established this winery in 1886 to serve as an addition to his medical practice outside of Adelaide and recommended wines for patients for tonic purposes. At present, Angove is among Australia’s most prominent family-owned wineries, providing quality wines from all over South Australia.
Barossa Valley Estate
While most people are familiar with its famous muscular E&E Black Pepper Shiraz, The cooperative, which has over 80 members, produces various affordable wines. The selection includes Shiraz from the region’s oldest vineyards and Chardonnay, Riesling, and Tempranillo. Its E Minor wines are terrific bargains.
Brokenwood Wines
In 1970, three lawyers, among them the now famous Australian wine journalist James Halliday, this Hunter Valley estate has evolved into one of the nation’s most respected table wineries. Iain Riggs has been a winemaker since 1982. His fine wines, such as the famed Graveyard Shiraz, are small-production cuvees from single vineyards.
Cape Mentelle
The Hohnen brothers David, Mark, and Giles Hohnen created Cape Mentelle in the then not yet discovered Margaret River region on Australia’s southwest coast in 1970. the red wines they produced soon earned international praise. Today, the winery is part of the French luxury goods group LVMH. The winery has a delicious Chardonnay as well as a consistently delicious Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon as well as Shiraz, as well as Zinfandel.
Cimicky Wines
Charles Cimicky, the son of a Czech immigrant, doesn’t use chemical fertilizers and has reduced his dependence on irrigation over the years. Barossa’s naturally saline soils and water shortage produce small, highly concentrated grapes. Cimicky and his partner, Jennie, focus primarily on reds from estates and have very few complex multilayered Shiraz Grenache, Shiraz, and blends.
Clarendon Hills
A winemaker Roman Bratasiuk established Clarendon Hills in McLaren Vale in 1990, and since then, the property has been one of the most sought-after brands in single-vineyard, vintage-vine Australian reds. The top wines, including the most coveted Astralis Shiraz, are as well-known for their high price as they are known for their indulgent tastes (though prices have dropped in recent years).
D’Arenberg
Chester Osborn –the current president of the family-owned winery established in 1912–led the way towards oddly-named Australian wines that include offerings like The Hermit Crab and the Laughing Magpie. Be aware that the d’Arenberg collection’s fanciful names consist of various cuvees with top Australian wines, including Dead Arm Shiraz.
Elderton Wines
Neil Ashmead and Lorraine Ashmead released their first vintage in 1982, sourced from one of the world’s most extensive vineyards with ancient vines. Their estate vineyard of 72 acres, with some blocks older than 116 years, produces one of the best Barossa quality wines: Command Shiraz. The winemaker Richard Langford supplements organically farmed estate grapes by buying fruit and chooses a more slack approach than most Barossa competitors.
Frankland Estate
The Western Australian region’s Frankland Estate is in the Frankland River subregion, where the cool temperatures and the clay soils yield excellent Riesling. This is the name this prestigious winery is now renowned for. Judi Cullam was the one who established Frankland along with her husband, Barrie Smith, who was born on the family’s old sheep farm and is a master of creating vibrant whites and rich reds. Its Isolation Ridge wines are made using organic grapes grown in an estate vineyard.
Australia Wine Producers G-L
Grant Burge Wines
Grant Burge founded his namesake winery in 1988 after revitalizing and selling the old Krondorf winery. He is now one of Barossa Valley’s most significant private vineyard owners, and the purchased Krondorf winery serves as his primary facility for producing white wine. Grant Burge’s offerings range from regular bottlings made from fruit from different regions of South Australia to a trio of high-end estate reds.
Grosset Wines
Jeffrey Grosset apprenticed under legendary Australian winemaker John Vickery before starting his Clare Valley estate in 1981. Since then, he’s been renowned for his Rieslings are dry wines with a steely taste, making it easier for people worldwide to consider Australian Rieslings seriously. The top bottles are the Polish Hill and Watervale wines, but Grosset’s other offerings must be noticed.
Hardys
English immigrants Thomas Hardy planted a few acres of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon on a riverbank south of Adelaide in 1854. He was the first to establish one of the most famous labels in Australia. Hardys was almost entirely created in the South Australia wine region. The family-owned company was in operation until 1992. Hardys today is among the most prominent wine brands worldwide and also a supplier of low-cost bottles. The most coveted red wine, the Shiraz, named in honor of Matriarch Eileen Hardy, lends sheen to the selection.
Henry’s Drive Vignerons
The upcoming Henry’s Drive is making some of the best wines in Australia from estate vineyards located in Padthaway along with McLaren Vale. The founders Kim and Mark Longbottom named it after Padthaway’s mail-coach driver in the 19th century. Its Trial of John Montford Cabernet Sauvignon and the Reserve Shiraz are deliciously complex, and the Morse Code wines are excellent value.
Jim Barry Wines
Together with his wife Nancy, Jim Barry helped to pioneer the modern age of Clare Valley winemaking in the 1960s and 1970s, establishing vineyards that would later become one of the best-known regions in the world. One of them is the Armagh Vineyard, the source of a massively dense Shiraz, perhaps the most well-known Clare Valley red. A few outstanding Rieslings, the highly famous McRae Wood Shiraz, and three Cabernets are the highlights of the incredible selection.
John Duval Wines
John Duval’s sophisticated wines challenge the idea of big Aussie reds. As the Penfolds’ chief winemaker from 1986 until 2003, Duval earned a reputation for his expertise in blending. Duval creates wines from some of the most prestigious Barossa vineyards in his less prestigious winery. These include The Eligo, the Entity Shirazes, a Rhone-inspired red blend, and an all-new white with Plexus. Plexus label.
Kaesler
Estate-made wines made from dry-farmed, old vineyards are the primary focus of this upscale Barossa winery. The vineyards were first established around 1893 by members of the Kaesler family. The winemaker Reid Bosward and their wife Bindy and a Swiss family as their backers purchased the vineyard in 2001. They have been producing stunning wines since then.
Kilikanoon
The Clare Valley-based winery earned its renowned reputation on stylish, strong Rieslings and bright smooth reds. The most acclaimed is Kilikanoon’s Mort’s Block Riesling and a set of powerful Shirazes that come to that hail from Clare Valley (Oracle), Barossa Valley (Green’s Vineyard and R Reserve), and McLaren Vale (M Reserve). Also, look out for the reasonably priced Killerman’s Run brand.
Leeuwin Estate
A few people in Australian wine are as famous as Leeuwin Estate. This small winery contributed to the development of the Margaret River region in the mid-1970s and was recognized for its exquisite Chardonnays. The Leeuwin’s Art Series Chardonnay remains the top, but the less expensive Siblings cuvees are worth a look.
Lindeman’s
Based in Melbourne, Treasury Wine Estates owns this mega winery known for its high-quality wines from all across Australia. Its winemaker Wayne Falkenberg has been at Lindeman’s for more than 34 years and has provided stability to a business that has grown along with the Australian sector of wine. Lindeman’s wines are priced from low to very expensive. The Bin line offers excellent value for money.
Australia Wine Producers M-Z
Penfolds
In the 1950s, Penfolds produced a red blend that would later become the most renowned wine in Australia, known as the famous Shiraz from Penfolds Grange. This historical Barossa Valley-based producer (established around 1844) produces various wines at varying price levels, with an entire team of winemakers supervised by Peter Gago.
Penley Estate
Long-time Coonawarra winemaker Kym Tolley, a descendant of the Penfolds founder’s father–launched his own company in 1988 after working at Penfolds for fifteen years. Although Australian red wines are known for being too sweet and sour fruit flavors, Tolley’s 100% estate-grown wines exhibit a controlled approach as the best Cabernet and Shiraz wines rank one of the best in the region.
Petaluma
Brian Croser founded Petaluma to source every grape grown in the finest region. The winery purchases Chardonnay wine grapes from the cooler-climate Adelaide Hills region (where Petaluma is located), Riesling from the Clare Valley, and Cabernet and Merlot from Coonawarra. Croser has ceased to be involved. However, the winemaker Andrew Hardy stays true to the style of the house, which is elegant wines.
Peter Lehmann Wines
The fifth generation of Barossan Peter Lehmann started his winery to help Barossa Valley growers from bankruptcy amid a massive harvest in the latter part of 1970. Since 2003, the company has been owned by Swiss businessman Donald Hess, Peter Lehmann Wines is among the biggest producers in the region, and despite making several wines, Barossa’s old-vine Shiraz is still the primary reason for the top wines from the winery, like Stonewell Shiraz. Stonewell Shiraz.
Pewsey Vale Vineyard
Pewsey Vale wines are sourced from one of South Australia’s most ancient vineyards, 1,600 feet higher than the Barossa Valley floor, planted in 1847. Riesling is a favorite in the region of cool temperatures, and that’s precisely the kind of wine Pewsey Vale’s founder Geoffrey Parsons wisely grew in 1961. The portfolio focuses on white wines, including the renowned Contours Riesling, released after five years of maturation.
Plantagenet
Plantagenet was founded close to Mount Baker in the vast Great Southern region in 1974. The wines it produces today, created with the help of Winemaker John Durham, are spicy Shiraz, fresh Riesling, and vibrant Cabernet Sauvignon. Their vibrancy and the cooler climate characterize all of them. The wines are classified under three brands (in ascending order of price): Hazard Hill, Omrah, and Plantagenet.
Rosemount Estate
Rosemount’s well-known Diamond Label is the brand’s identity card, which includes twelve bottles made for easy drinking at reasonable prices. Step up towards the Show Reserve tier to find more intense wine made in the same fruit-forward style, and the finest versions are worth every penny. The Flagship tier is comprised of three regional cuvees.
Torbreck Vintners
The talented vintner, David Powell of Torbreck, is famous for his fantastic (and extravagantly costly) Barossa Valley reds, such as the Runrig Shiraz. The winemaker’s Grenache and Shiraz grapes originate from old vines, an obsession Powell acquired when working at Barossa’s renowned Rockland estate.
Two Hands
“The “two hands” at this top-of-the-line négociant are the owners Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz, who acquire high-quality grapes across Australia. The winemaker Matt Wenk crafts showy wines, which are primarily Shiraz. Its Picture Series wines are the most affordable, while those from the Single Vineyard and Garden Series levels are more expensive, and the best cuvees are named in honor of Greek gods.
Vasse Felix
Vasse Felix is the very first winery established in the coast Margaret River region and is still among the top. Perth cardiologist Tom Cullity planted the original vineyards in the year 1967. Twenty years after, Cullity sold the vineyard to the Holmes a Court family, and under their care, Vasse Felix has grown, producing notable Chardonnay along with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wolf Blass
However, Wolf Blass is known more for its red wine (its black-label Cabernet Shiraz has been awarded Australia’s famous Jimmy Watson Trophy four times). The mega winery produces excellent Rieslings and Chardonnays. These Yellow Labels and the Gold are priced to be affordable; Gray, Black, and Platinum labels are more expensive.
Woop Woop Wines
Woop Woop Woop is an Australian word meaning “out between nowhere,”–which is fitting, considering that the winemaker Ben Riggs travels thousands of miles across remote vineyards throughout the southeastern part of Australia to procure fruits for Woop the six wines. The fruits of his labor are fresh, fruit-driven whites and reds that are unusually high quality for the price.
Yalumba
At 163 years old, Yalumba is Australia’s longest-running winery owned by a family. However, the Barossa-based winemaker is an exciting operation. The company is run by a dynamic family member Robert Hill Smith; Yalumba constantly innovates. The company’s portfolio of over 50 wines includes Tempranillo and Vermentino; however, Shiraz and Cabernet remain its mainstays. Its standard Octavius Shiraz is one of the top wines in the country.
Yangarra Estate Vineyard
Each grape Yangarra crushes is sourced from an estate vineyard 250 acres south of Adelaide. Yangarra was founded in 2001 and is currently owned by the Kendall-Jackson wine business has earned a name for outstanding Grenache that comes from a prized piece of vines that is more than 60 years old. The winemaker Peter Fraser also has a deft hand with Shiraz and Chardonnay.
