{{Short description|Wine produced in Western Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}} right|thumb|270px|Western Australia (in red) '''Western Australian wine''' refers to wine produced in Australia's largest state, Western Australia. Although the state extends across the western third of the continent, its wine regions are almost entirely situated in the cooler climate of its south-western tip. Western Australia produces less than 5% of the country's wine output, but in quality terms it is very much near the top, winning 30 percent of the country's medals.<ref name="Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson 2007">{{cite book|title= The World Atlas of Wine; 6th Revised edition |publisher= Mitchell Beazley| year=2007|isbn=978-1-84533-414-7|author=Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson}}</ref><ref name="Sotheby">T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 589 Dorling Kindersley 2005 {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}</ref><ref name="western australian wine">[http://www.wineaustralia.com/Australia/Default.aspx?tabid=179 Australian Wine and Brandy corporation - Western Australia]</ref><ref name=ocw-wa/>{{rp|765}}<ref>{{Citation|last=Wine & spirit education trust.|title=Wines and spirits understanding style and quality|date=2012|pages=202|publisher=MTM|oclc=943386647}},</ref>
==History== The Swan Valley established in 1829 by Thomas Waters is the historical centre for wine production in Western Australia. However, the state's cooler climate south-western wine regions such as Margaret River, and the Great Southern are considered to be more significant due to the Swan Valley being noted as one of the hottest viticultural regions in the world. Partly because of this, and as a reaction to the emergence of the Margaret River and Great Southern regions spanning the far south western corner of the state a large number of producers have deserted the area with the numbers of vineyards shrinking. In the year 1970, 90 percent of the state's wine was made from grapes grown in the Swan Valley; by 1980 the figure was 59 percent; by 1996 it was 15 percent and still falling.<ref name="Sotheby"/><ref name=ocw-wa>winepros.com.au, ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', [http://winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=3564 Western Australia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326065817/http://winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=3564 |date=26 March 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Wine for Dummies">{{cite book |title= Wine For Dummies |last= Ed |first= McCarthy |author2= Mary Ewing-Mulligan |year= 2006 |publisher= For Dummies |isbn= 0-470-04579-5 |url= https://archive.org/details/winefordummiesfo00edmc }}</ref>
In the late 1960s, winemaking grew in the southern regions of Western Australia with the influence of Antarctic currents and onshore westerlies offering a more temperate climate for grape production. Despite having only around 7 percent of Australia's vineyards and a mere 3 percent of grapes crushed, the winemaking regions of the South-West of the state attract a large amount of media attention.<ref name="Sotheby"/><ref>{{cite book|title= The World Atlas of Wine; 6th Revised edition |publisher= Mitchell Beazley| year=2008|isbn=978-1-84533-414-7|author=Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson}}</ref>
== Appellation classes and divisions == Australian wine labelling appellations are classified into legal wine-producing areas under the Wine Australia Act.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00368|title=Wine Australia Act 2013|date=7 November 2017|website=Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation|access-date=15 February 2020}}</ref> These appellations, called Australian Geographical Indications (AGI), are designated by the as either a zone, region, or sub-region that has a particular quality, reputation, or characteristic attributed to it; as defined by the regulatory government authority Wine Australia.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/4f720437-9923-42d7-90ec-c5cc8f8febb0/Grower-Guide-to-the-Label-Integrity-Program.pdf|title=Grower Guide to the Label Integrity Program|website=Wine Australia|access-date=15 February 2020}}</ref> To protect the reputation of each Geographical Indication,<ref name=":1" /> if a wine is labelled as from a specific appellation then 85% of grapes must be from that appellation. If it is a blend of grapes from two or three appellations, then 95% of grapes of the grapes must be from the appellations listed and the proportions of the blend have to be displayed as a percentage.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wineaustralia.com/WineAustralia/media/WineAustralia/About-us/Wine-Australia-Compliance-Guide-June-2016.pdf|title=Wine Australia Compliance Guide|date=June 2016|website=Australian Grape and Wine Authority|access-date=14 February 2020}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Western Australia has three zones with active wine industries, two of which are divided into nine regions and six sub-regions:<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wineaustralia.com/au/labelling/register-of-protected-gis-and-other-terms/geographical-indications|title=Geographical Indications|website=www.wineaustralia.com|publisher=Wine Australia|access-date=2020-02-15}}</ref>
* '''Central Western Australia''' – Includes a handful of boutique cellar door wineries over a 600 km<sup>2</sup> area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://winewa.asn.au/central-wa/|title=Central WA|website=WA Wines|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-15}}</ref> * '''Greater Perth''' – Includes the regions of Perth Hills and Peel, along with the Swan District region and its Swan Valley sub-region.<ref name=":2" /> * '''South West Australia''' – Includes the regions of Margaret River, Pemberton, Manjimup, Geographe, and Blackwood Valley, along with the Great Southern region which is further divided into the sub-regions of Albany, Denmark, Frankland River, Mount Barker, and Porongorup.<ref name=":2" />
==Wine regions== ===Great Southern=== {{Main|Great Southern (wine region)}} The Great Southern is Australia's largest wine region a rectangle 200 kilometres from east to west and over 100 kilometres from north to south. The vineyards spread throughout the area have significant variations of terroir and climate dictated in part by the distance, however, the region is the coolest of Western Australia's viticultural areas; with a similar maritime influenced Mediterranean climate to Margaret River although with slightly less rainfall. This diverse region is known for Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir, Shiraz, and Malbec.<ref name="Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson 2007"/><ref name="Sotheby"/><ref name="Wine for Dummies"/><ref name="The Australian Wine Encyclopedia">{{cite book|title= The Australian Wine Encyclopedia|publisher= Hardie Grant Books |year=2009|isbn=978-1-74066-774-6|author= James Halliday}}</ref><ref name="Oxford Companion">J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 326 Oxford University Press 2006 {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}</ref>
===Margaret River=== {{Main|Margaret River (wine region)}} The Margaret River wine region to the south of Western Australia, receives its temperate climate from the cooling influence of the Indian Ocean. Predominant grape varieties cultivated include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sémillion, Sauvignon blanc, Chenin blanc and Chardonnay.<ref name=ocw-wa/>
===Swan District=== The Swan District, of which the Swan Valley forms part, is the hottest wine region in Australia, with the grape harvest usually beginning in January. The Swan Valley is among the largest sources of Western Australia's wine, with grape varieties such as Verdelho, Chenin blanc, and Chardonnay.<ref name=ocw-wa/>
==See also== {{portal|Wine|Western Australia}} * Australian wine * List of wineries in Western Australia
== References == === Citations === {{Reflist}}
=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * {{Clarke-AustWineCompan |pages = 6–33, 122–141 }} *{{Halliday-AustWineCompend |pages = 473–527 }} * {{James Halliday's Wine Atlas of Australia|pages = 228–271 |edition=Second}} * {{Halliday-AustWineEncyc}} * {{Hardy-AustWinePictAtlas |pages = 294–331 }} * {{Jordan-WineWABest}} * {{Scott-Negus-Cellar Door}} * {{Zekulich-WineWA}} * {{Zekulich-SpiritSwan}} {{refend}}
==External links== * Wine Australia: [http://www.wineaustralia.com/australia/Default.aspx?tabid=4466 Western Australia] *[http://www.winewa.asn.au Wines of Western Australia] – WA peak industry body official site * [http://www.wineweb.com/map_w_australia.html Wine region map]
{{Wine regions of Western Australia}} {{Wines}}
Category:Wine regions of Western Australia Category:Wineries in Western Australia Category:Cuisine of Western Australia Category:Australian wine