Authority overview | |
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Formed | 1 July 2014 |
Preceding agencies | |
Jurisdiction | Government of Australia |
Headquarters | Adelaide, South Australia 34°55′08″S138°36′50″E / 34.919°S 138.614°E |
Website | www |
The Australian Grape and Wine Authority is responsible for research, development and extension of the wine industry in Australia, including protecting the reputation of Australian wine. It was created in 2014 by merging Wine Australia and the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation. [1]
The Australian Grape and Wine Authority includes a regulatory body that ensures wine production complies with the Food Standards Code and ensures that information on labels of Australian wine is accurate, including geographic indicators. [2]
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus Vitis. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The National Wine Centre of Australia is a public exhibition building about winemaking and its industry in South Australia, opened in 2001. It contains an interactive permanent exhibition of winemaking, introducing visitors to the technology, varieties and styles of wine. It also has a wine tasting area, giving visitors the opportunity to taste and compare wines from different areas of Australia.
Wrattonbully is a wine region in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia's South East, between the Padthaway and Coonawarra regions, between the Riddoch Highway and the Victorian border.
The Clare Valley wine region is one of Australia's oldest wine regions, best known for Riesling wines. It lies in the Mid North of South Australia, approximately 142 km north of Adelaide. The valley runs north-south, with Horrocks Highway as the main thoroughfare.
The Mount Benson wine region is a wine region in the south east of the Australian state of South Australia located on the continental coastline about 300 kilometres from the state capital of Adelaide and halfway between the towns of Kingston SE and Robe. Mount Benson is one of six wine growing regions that are located in the Limestone Coast wine zone.
Based in Glen Osmond, South Australia, the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology (ASVO) is a non-political organization that was founded in 1980 to serve the interests of practicing winemakers and viticulturists by encouraging the exchange of technical information. It publishes the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research and has over 1,300 individual and corporate members.
Wine Australia is an Australian Government statutory corporation that promotes and regulates the Australian wine industry. It was created as the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) in 1981 to replace the Australian Wine Board by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation Act 1980, and had its name changed by the amended Wine Corporation Act 1980, passed in December 2010. Wine Australia is now governed by the superseding law, Wine Australia Act 2013. Wine Australia determines the boundaries of Australia's wine regions and sometimes names them. Wine Australia also regulates wine exports, ensuring the quality and integrity of each shipment of wine exported. Wine Australia has three main departments; Compliance, Market Development and Knowledge Development.
The South Australian wine industry is responsible for more than half the production of all Australian wine. South Australia has a vast diversity in geography and climate which allows the state to be able to produce a range of grape varieties–from the cool climate Riesling variety in the Clare Valley wine region to the big, full bodied Shiraz wines of the Barossa Valley.
Eden Valley wine region is a wine region located in South Australia immediately north of the capital city of Adelaide which covers an area in the Mount Lofty Ranges extending from Truro in the north to just south of Springton in the south. The region received appellation as an Australian Geographical Indication in 1997 and as of 2014, it is represented by at least 36 wineries.
The Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation was an entity of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of the Government of Australia. It was responsible for research, development and extension for the Australian wine industry. In 2014, it was merged with Wine Australia to create the Australian Grape and Wine Authority.
Fleurieu zone is a wine zone located south of Adelaide in South Australia. It extends from Kangaroo Island in the west as far north as Flagstaff Hill on the west side of the Mount Lofty Ranges and to as far north as Langhorne Creek on the east side of the Mount Lofty Ranges. It consists of the following five wine regions, each of which has received appellation as an Australian Geographical Indication (AGI): Currency Creek, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale and the Southern Fleurieu.
Kangaroo Island wine region is a wine region which covers the full extent of Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The wine region is one of five wine regions comprising the Fleurieu zone. The term ‘Kangaroo Island’ was registered as an Australian Geographical Indication under the Wine Australia Corporation Act 1980 on 8 December 2000. As of 2014, the region is reported as containing at least 30 growers and 12 wineries. As of 2014, the most common plantings within the region within a total planted area of 140 ha was reported as being Shiraz (35.7%) followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (30.7%) and Chardonnay (7.1%).
Limestone Coast zone is a wine zone located in the south east of South Australia. It extends south of a line of latitude approximately in line with Cape Willoughby at the east end of Kangaroo Island and it is bounded by the continental coastline and the border with Victoria. It consists of the following wine regions all of which have received appellation as an Australian Geographical Indication (AGI): Coonawarra, Mount Benson, Mount Gambier, Robe, Padthaway, Wrattonbully and a small number of vineyards located outside the above regions. The zone received AGI in 1996.
Southern Fleurieu wine region is a wine region in South Australia that is located on the Fleurieu Peninsula and the portion of the Mount Lofty Ranges, extending north east from the peninsula to near Willunga in the west and to near Ashbourne in the east. The region received appellation as an Australian Geographical Indication (AGI) in 2001 and as of 2014, has a total planted area of 510 ha and is represented by 50 growers and at least 19 wineries.
The Peninsulas zone is a wine zone located in South Australia that covers the entire Yorke Peninsula, an adjoining portion of the Mid North of South Australia, the portion of Eyre Peninsula south of a line of latitude approximately in line with Crystal Brook and the islands located off the adjoining coastline. The zone is bounded by the Far North zone to its north by the Mount Lofty Ranges zone to its east. The term ‘The Peninsulas’ was registered as an Australian Geographical Indication under the Wine Australia Corporation Act 1980 on 27 December 1996.
Adelaide Plains wine region is a wine region located in South Australia immediately north of the capital city of Adelaide. The region received appellation as an Australian Geographical Indication in 2002 and as of 2014, it is represented by 11 wineries. It is part of the Mount Lofty Ranges zone.
Mount Lofty Ranges zone is a wine zone located in South Australia west of the Murray River that occupies the Adelaide metropolitan area north of Glenelg, extending as far north as Crystal Brook, and as far south as Mount Compass in the Mount Lofty Ranges. The zone which encloses the Barossa zone on three sides, includes three wine regions that have received appellation as Australian Geographical Indications (AGIs): Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Plains and Clare Valley. The zone received AGI in 1996.
Barossa zone is a wine zone located in central South Australia west of the Murray River and which occupies the Barossa Valley, the Eden Valley and some adjoining land. The zone which is enclosed by the Mount Lofty Ranges zone on three sides and by the Lower Murray zone to its east, contains two wine regions which have received appellation as Australian Geographical Indications (AGI). These are the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley regions. The Barossa zone also includes a broader area around these two defined regions. The zone received AGI in 1996.
Padthaway wine region is a wine zone region located in the south east of South Australia immediately adjoining a section of the Riddoch Highway including the town of Padthaway. The region received appellation as an Australian Geographical Indication (AGI) in 1999.
Currency Creek wine region is a wine region in South Australia that is located on the west side of Lake Alexandrina between Milang, the Murray Mouth, Port Elliot and just south of Ashbourne. The region received appellation as an Australian Geographical Indication (AGI) in 2001 and as of 2014, has a total planted area of 960 ha and is represented by at least four wineries.