Since Barossa Valley is often called “Australia’s most famous wine region”, let us give you some random facts about wine.
- Australia is the fourth largest producer of wine globally; this is in terms of value and volume.
- On average, each Australian consume 29.6 litres of wine, annually.
- Australia has 65 different wine regions, and the first grape vines were planted in 1788 in Sydney’s Farm Cove. These vines were brought by Captain Philip in one of the ships of the First Fleet.
- Australia’s grapevines are some of the oldest in the world. In the 1800s, phylloxera pest destroyed many established vineyards in Europe and Australia. But thankfully South Australia remained unaffected due to strict quarantine rules.
- Shiraz and Chardonnay grapes are grown in all the 65 wine regions of Australia.
- The oldest vineyard in Australia is the Langmeil Freedom vineyard. It was founded in 1843 in the Barossa Valley. On the other hand, Mount Gambier in South Australia’s south east is the country’s newest wine region.
- The most expensive bottle of Australian wine ever sold in the world is the Penfold’s 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon. It was sold for $168,000 in 2012.
- The intense fear or hatred of wine is called “oenophobia” and “cenosillicaphobia” is the fear of an empty glass. 😊
- Sir Kenelm Digby (1603-1665) was the one who invented the dark green wine bottle, previously wine had been kept in goat skin bags.
- The custom of bumping glasses with a “cheers” greeting came from the middle ages. During those times, poisoning was a favorite way to get rid of an enemy. Hence, to be sure their glass was poison-free, drinkers would first pour a bit of wine into each other’s glass, so if there was poison in one, it was now in both.
- Did you know that there are approximately 600-800 crushed grapes in one bottle of wine and the grapes used in winemaking is different from the table grapes you buy at the groceries?
