| a fine red wine, Australia’s wine making | | | | the Second World War, when thousands of |
| industry continues to mature and grow in | | | | international troops participating in the Pacific |
| complexity as the years pass. Compared to the | | | | theatre were stationed in the country. And |
| millennia-old wine making traditions of Europe, | | | | wherever there are thousands of young men on |
| Australia’s wine making industry is | | | | furlough or supporting military activities, the fact is |
| relatively young and does exceptionally well with | | | | that beer, wine, and spirits will be in high demand. |
| 21st century ideas such as bio dynamics and | | | | It’s no secret that certain industries tend |
| buying wine online. The 230-odd years since | | | | to grow financially during wartime, and the |
| Captain Arthur Phillip brought the first wine grapes | | | | Australian wine industry is one of them. |
| to Australia are barely an instant in the grand | | | | To seal the deal, the post-war period saw a |
| sweep of history, but Australians have made the | | | | massive influx of European immigrants looking for |
| most of this short time. | | | | new beginnings. These new Australians from |
| Over the last few decades, Australia has become | | | | countries like Spain, France, and Poland brought |
| one of the top wine making countries in the world. | | | | their old-world knowledge of wine and applied it to |
| The volume of its wine production consistently | | | | the unique climates and soils of southern Australia. |
| ranks in the top six worldwide, and Australia has | | | | When their efforts were combined with the hard |
| recently begun to challenge the three top wine | | | | work of hundreds of long-standing Australian |
| making countries—France, Italy, and | | | | wineries that had already been producing fine |
| Spain—in total export volume. Today, | | | | wines for generations, it lead to a bounty of new |
| Australian wine sales total around 1.5 billion liters | | | | and reinvigorated wines that, after just a few |
| every year, contributing about $2 billion annually to | | | | decades, made it possible for Australia to stand |
| the domestic economy, much of which now | | | | shoulder to shoulder with any other wine making |
| comes from consumers buying wine online. | | | | country in the world. |
| The turn-around has been incredible. After all, it | | | | Looking back on the recent history of Australian |
| was not so long ago that the Australian wine | | | | wine, it’s obvious that Australians have |
| industry was primarily known for its sweet and | | | | turned their short wine making history into an |
| fortified wines, which can be quite good, but | | | | advantage. Lacking a long tradition has allowed |
| let’s face it—they don’t | | | | them to bring new and innovative ideas to a global |
| exactly grab the attention of wine critics and | | | | industry that is not always known for its |
| sophisticated wine consumers. Australian | | | | versatility. This spirit of freshness and innovation |
| winemakers have been able to take a few | | | | carries into the internet age, when millions of |
| international wine prizes here and there since the | | | | consumers interested in buying wine online are |
| early 1800s, but most of the fine Australian wines | | | | waiting for the industry to catch up with demand. |
| have been made by small vineyards that | | | | Australian winemakers are already at the front of |
| didn’t have the volume to consistently | | | | the pack, but what’s truly scary for |
| send their wines abroad. | | | | international competition is that the Australian wine |
| The modern Australian wine boom started during | | | | industry still has plenty of room to grow. |