Australian wine explained. Old vine Shiraz and the regions to know.

From fortified wines to world-class Shiraz

Australia's wine story began in 1788, when vine cuttings arrived with Captain Arthur Phillip at what is now Sydney. In the 1830s James Busby and John Macarthur brought European vines, including the country's first Syrah. For a long time Australia mostly exported fortified wines, and it was only from the 1970s that demand for quality table wine took off.

Shiraz, Australia's name for Syrah, is the signature grape and makes up a large share of the red crush. In the 1950s Max Schubert of Penfolds created Grange, a Shiraz-based wine that became an icon. Because the Barossa has never been hit by phylloxera, some producers still farm ungrafted Shiraz vines planted in the 1840s, among the oldest in the world.

South Australia: Barossa, Eden and Clare

Most of Australia is too hot and dry for vines, so regions sit along the southeast coast, the Murray River and on higher ground. Barossa Valley, an hour from Adelaide, is hot and dry, with late-summer heat and a wide day-night range concentrating the grapes. Typical Barossa Shiraz is bold, rich, chocolatey and spicy with soft tannins, yet the hosts note a growing focus on balance and freshness.

Two nearby regions are famous for Riesling, fittingly for an area settled by many Germans. Eden Valley, in the hills east of Barossa, gives floral wines with lime, apple and a saline freshness. Clare Valley, on an elevated plateau to the northwest, has a warm climate but cool nights, producing dry Rieslings with strong lime flavors that can develop toasty, honeyed "marmalade" notes with age.

Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Semillon

Coonawarra, near the border of South Australia and Victoria, is known for its red terra rossa topsoil over limestone and a cool maritime climate. Its Cabernet Sauvignon shows blackberry, dark cherry and often a minty or eucalyptus note. Margaret River in Western Australia has a climate often compared to Bordeaux, and makes elegant Cabernet as well as Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blends.

Victoria is home to cool regions for Burgundy grapes: Mornington Peninsula and Geelong by Port Phillip Bay, and the Yarra Valley northeast of Melbourne, with food-friendly Pinot Noir. In New South Wales, the warm, wet Hunter Valley makes a unique Semillon: picked early at about 10 to 12% alcohol, unoaked and bottled young, it starts neutral and develops honeyed, toasty notes over many years. Also keep an eye on Tasmania for sparkling and cool-climate wines.

The experiment: vine training systems

Sarah and Paz build miniature vineyards in the studio, with mixed success, to explain how vines are trained. They show Vertical Shoot Positioning, used around the world to open the canopy, and how it applies to both cordon and cane-pruned (Guyot) vines. They then build a pergola, a horizontal roof of foliage that shades the bunches in hot, high places.

Finally comes the bush vine, a head-trained vine with no wires, common in Mediterranean climates and on many Australian labels. See how the pruning demonstration goes.

Food pairings and blind tastings

The hosts open The Freedom 1843 Shiraz from one of the oldest Shiraz vineyards in the world and pair it with spiced lamb skewers marinated in a harissa and ginger beer paste. They also taste Grosset Polish Hill Riesling from the Clare Valley and discuss why a young, bone-dry Riesling needs time.

Two blind tastings follow, with a stir-fried prawn dish to finish. Find out how color, alcohol and acidity help the hosts narrow down a wine, a skill that helps you prepare for WSET Level 3.