Wines have been heralded to be the drink of the Gods since time immemorial. It is the drink of celebration, courage and unity. From the times of Dionysus, people have loved growing grapevines, making wines
Wines have been heralded to be the drink of the Gods since time immemorial. It is the drink of celebration, courage and unity. From the times of Dionysus, people have loved growing grapevines, making wines and savouring its taste with increasing age.
Australia’s wine business is world-class. Australia shipped 729 million litres of wine in 2019-2020, generating $2.8 billion in income! This is supported by Australia having over 6351 grape growers, which equates to 2391 wineries! a million wines are noted for their consistency in quality and richness.
Winemaking Process
Popularly, winemaking has five basic processes. While one talks about winemaking, one refers to red wine. Although making rose wine or sparkling wine essentially follows the same procedure, they require further human intervention to attain the end product. The five processes are:
- Harvesting: This is the process where the grapevines are allowed to grow, mature and reach the perfect stage where they can be harvested. It is imperative to choose the grape varieties according to the locality’s climate and soil condition. Harvesting the grapes at the right time becomes crucial in allowing the fruit to release its natural acidity and sweetness.
- Crushing and Pressing; Many wineries like Million Wines prefer handling the grapes gently. Traditionally, the grapes are harvested and immediately pressed. In this case, the grapes are first de-stemmed and preserved as-is before pressing to retain the purity of the fruit.
- Fermentation: This process involves storing the wine in traditional oak barrels and letting the fruits’ natural acids do their work. The barrels help soften the tannins and naturally enhance the fruit’s flavour, thereby adding depth and concentration to the wine.
- Clarification: This is a natural process where the leftover yeast particles and fruit residue automatically settle at the bottom of the barrel due to gravity.
- Ageing and Bottling: After natural clarification, the wine is siphoned into bottles and corked tight to age and improve in taste with time.
Wines are priced based on the brand (the vineyard decides that) and the age. Usually, a mid-range wine bottle costs 15.00A$.
Types Of Wines
There are so many types of wines. Wines differ from one locality to another based on the flavour they capture. Many winemakers like Million Wines are regionally-inspired products of Australia that utilise hands-on, estate-grown harvests to allow the fruit to shine on its own. Wines can taste cool, warm or authentically local and light according to harvest styles.
- The Royal: As the name suggests, this wine is a noble representation of Australian winemaking. The Royal is a highly indulgent wine that naturally carries an air of sophistication and class. It is a wine that is suited purely for drinking pleasure. It comes as regular Red Wine, Shiraz and Chardonnay bottles.
- The Estate: The Estate is a wine collection that represents the hard work and rusticity of the vineyard. As the name suggests, this wine reflects the high-quality and authentic flavours extracted from the Australian vineyards. This wine is priced affordably and can be enjoyed by everyone. It is available as Shiraz, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon bottles.
- Artiste: These wines represent the artistic diversity of wines and do justice to their name. The Artiste is a wine collection made from select cool-climate grapes of Australia. These wines are incredibly sophisticated, well-balanced and light. Since the fruits primarily drive the flavour, this wine is perfect to pair with food!