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  Fine Australian Wine Online

Red Wine Styles/Varietals

Australia is blessed with plenty of sunshine enabling our grapes to ripen to perfection. Whatever the requirements of a particular red wine varietal, there are parts of Australia that can give it everything it needs. The warmer the wine region the more likely it will produce the rich, full flavored style many people associate with Australian red wine. However, Australia also has cool climatic conditions well suited to red varieties which produce lighter and more delicate red wine styles. The world’s classic premium red grape varieties are all found in abundance in Australia.


Shiraz (pron. sheer-az)

There is nothing quite like a knockout Aussie Shiraz. No other grape has such a uniquely Australian character. The world’s wine makers try but they will never capture that mulberry, spicy, all-out jammy, slightly ‘wild’ flavor that is Australia’s own.  

Australian Shiraz may be genetically the same as Syrah (which has been grown in the Rhone Valley of France since the Middle Ages) but it doesn’t taste the same. Syrah from the Rhone is distinctly gamey in aroma and tannic in texture. The warmer Australian climate produces wines that are sweeter and riper tasting. Aussie Shiraz is a deep, dark wine with exotic spicy aromas, abundant berry flavors and a rich texture. Its character changes depending on the region in which it is grown.

First introduced in the 1830s, Australia has some of the world’s oldest Shiraz vines, specifically in South Australia but it is now planted in most of Australia’s wine regions. The experience of Australian Shiraz varies: the elegant, peppery cool climate style of Victoria:  the more intensely flavored berry, spicy styles of the Coonawarra and Margaret River regions: the powerful and minty from the Clare Valley:  the sweet and chocolaty in McLaren Vale:  the robust and ripe-fruited from the Barossa:  and the leather and rich from the Hunter Valley region.

Shiraz goes with almost any meat, game or pasta dish. It’s so ripe and gushy it even works well with many spicy Asian or Latin foods that wouldn’t pair well with a tannic Cabernet. Most Americans love Australian Shiraz because it has lots of flavor and the familiar richness of a California red. It is an incredibly complex and rich wine and quality Australian Shiraz can be found at a variety of price points.


Cabernet Sauvignon (pron. cab-er-nay sav-in-yon)

Usually considered the noblest of red grapes Cabernet Sauvignon grapes produce distinctive wines that are tannic and can have long aging potential. Cabernet Sauvignon's taste characteristics are dark cherry, cedar, mint, black currant and cool climate growth can offer green pepper or olive. Up to 18 months of aging in small oak barrels before bottling is common in order to achieve more complexity. It is often blended with other varieties to make more complex wines.

Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the medium to cool regions will be as powerfully flavored with black curranty notes and as full-bodied as you’d expect from anywhere. It’s at its berry and minty/eucalyptus best in the Coonawarra and Margaret River regions. McLaren Vale in South Australia generates Cabs with black currant and berry characters with a hint of chocolate. There are also some wonderfully good blends with Merlot and a Shiraz Cabernet has to be tried to be believed.

Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be a deep purple red in color and makes big, dense wines capable of long aging.  These wines are rich and well structured and benefit from further aging in the bottle, so it’s also well worth cellaring them for a year or two if you can wait. Young Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be very tannic, meaning it can make your mouth feel dry when you drink it. For this reason, Cabernets are best enjoyed with foods containing protein and fat (such as a nice juicy steak) as these elements tend to mellow the tannins. Age will also mellow the tannins, if you have the patience to hold on to your wine. Let the bottle ‘breath’ for 10 minutes or so before drinking.

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Pinot Noir (pron. pee-no nwahr)

Pinot Noir is one of the most difficult and temperamental grapes to grow and make into fine wine. It can also produce an amazing glass of wine when it is done properly. Why is this grape so difficult?  It has very specific requirements for its growing conditions and it does best in cool climates. It needs warm days and cool nights and will throw viticultural tantrums at the slightest change in the weather. If Pinot Noir receives too little heat in the growing season, its wines are thin and pale. If the growing season is too warm, the wines have an overripe, cooked flavor. Winemakers must also watch the yield, or the amount of bunches of grapes allowed to grow on one vine. Pinot Noir vines provide lower yields than other grape varieties.

So why does anyone want to grow this tempermental grape? The answer is it is capable of making sublime, sexy and addictive red wines that exquisitely express their place of origin. Indeed, once you've tasted a great Pinot Noir you'll be hooked. Smooth and silky Pinot Noir impresses with elegance rather than power. The color of the wine is typically lighter than other reds. Flavors of strawberry, raspberry and cherry are common in young wines, becoming earthy and gamey as the wine matures. Pinot Noir also tends to have softer tannins and a long finish. Finish is winespeak for the flavors that hold on in your mouth after you have swallowed the wine. Pinot Noir rarely makes "big," deeply colored wines, instead it’s known for its elegance and perfumed aroma.

The aging potential can range from 3 to 12 years depending on the quality and style of the wine. Pinot Noir is very versatile in its ability to match up with foods. Grilled seafood is an especially good match with most wines made from Pinot Noir.

To experience the best Pinot Noir that Australia has to offer try them from the cooler climates like Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, the inland Orange region of New South Wales and in Western Australia, from the elevated Denmark region and the Margaret River ‘micro climate’ district of Rosa Glen.


Merlot (pron. mer-low)

Where Cabernet Sauvignon is structured and firm, Merlot is more fleshy and lush. Merlot has often been thought of as a grape to be blended with others to create a good wine. However, the world now realizes that great wines can be made from Merlot alone. Merlot tends to make more luscious, seductively fruited wines than Cabernet which can lead people to overlook its more serious side.

Merlot is able to mature in regions that are cooler than those required for Cabernet Sauvignon. However it is more susceptible to fungus and mold diseases and therefore a bit harder to grow. In Australia unblended Merlot is being increasingly seen from areas like the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in South Australia which produces a soft dry merlot often described as plush plum like.

Australian Merlot has a lovely dark red to almost blue color. It is full of fruit flavors of ripe plums, blueberries and blackcurrants. This contrasts with Australian Cabernet Sauvignon which, while full of fruit as well, is more angular and tannic. Merlot is lower in tannins and making wines that mature faster and are softer in texture. This is why Merlot is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to soften the blend.

Australian Merlot wines are supple, forward, fruity and lush. They can be aromatic and are capable of great richness and as an added bonus can normally be enjoyed when they are younger. Merlot should be served slightly below room temperature.

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Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre or GSM

It’s taken a while to be accepted but Australian GSM is all the rage now and its popularity is spreading fast. GSM refers to France’s Rhone Valley blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre.

The Grenache varietal is a sweet grape and is one of the most widely planted in the world. It was introduced in Australia during the earliest stages of our wine industry. Grenache produces wines that are fruity, full in flavor and have overtones of spice. The wine tends to have a soft light color with ruby edges.

Shiraz is a ripe, flavorsome wine with exotic spicy aromas, abundant berry flavors and a rich texture (see above).

Mourvèdre is challenging to grow with irregular yields and very-tight bunches but it thrives in warm, wind-swept areas. Mourvèdre wines are medium bodied with deep color and savory flavors providing an almost ‘meaty’ edge. On its own can be a bit too much for many wine drinkers.

The GSM blend usually has a deep crimson appearance, displaying intense berry fruit aromas with underlying smokey spice. It should taste easy on the pallet, not too complex, not too complicated with no one flavor overpowering the other if it is perfectly mixed.


Barbera (pron. bar-bear-rah)

The Barbera grape's origins are unknown but the Monferrato in Italy’s Piedmont is frequently sited as the variety's birthplace. Barbera has some of the flavor characteristics you would find in a Cabernet Sauvignon but with higher acid levels. 

Australian Barbera wines are fairly new to the market with the warm climate regions are having good success. Barbera is suited to some of Australia's regions as it’s evidently at home in hot temperatures. Barbera wines are deep ruby color, have luscious berry flavors with medium body and low tannin levels. Its chief characteristic is its high level of natural acidity even when fully ripe, a distinct advantage in a hot climate. It's higher acid levels translate to crispness and approachability making it an especially good match for full flavored foods when combined with tomato sauces.

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Dolcetto (pro. dol-chetto)

Dolcetto roughly translates from Italian as the "little sweet one" and is predominately grown in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. You won’t see much Dolcetto grown in Australia but what there is, is just fantastic.

Dolcetto is a red wine grape that can make a wonderfully fruity wine. With lots of up front fruit and soft tannins this wine is very approachable in its youth. The color is purple with fragrances resembling licorice and almonds. The wines are fairly sweet even though the sugar levels of this grape are no higher than the norm. It is the low tannin level that exaggerates the sugar level and provides the lovely sweetness.

Dolcetto is exceptionally food friendly and pairs well with a wide variety of dishes, particularly spaghetti with any red (tomato) sauce. Best enjoyed one to three years after harvest.


Pink or Rosé Wines (pron. rose-ay)

Rosé has been rediscovered and becoming the wine of choice for outdoor dining occasions and for those who are ahead of the trends. A fun wine, Rosé comes in a range of styles and hues from pale onion skin colors to shocking fuchsia and from dry to sweet.

Rosé wines are made by pressing ripe, red grapes but only leaving the juice in contact with the skins for a short while so the wine acquires a pink blush. These wines are at their best young, while they are still fresh and vibrant.  

Enjoyed chilled, it's an increasingly popular option during warm Aussie days. This is particularly true of red wine drinkers, who just can’t bear the transition to a true white wine despite the heat. 

Australian winemakers are using their favorite grapes such as Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Grenache for these wines. With their tendency to produce more complex flavors, Australian Rosés fall mid-way between whites and fuller bodied reds.

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