Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. It is celebrated on 26 January each year and it marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, and raising of the Flag of Great Britain at that site by Governor Arthur Phillip.
In modern Australia, the holiday is marked by the presentation of the Australian of the Year Awards on Australia Day Eve, announcement of the Australia Day Honors’ list and addresses from the Governor-General and Prime Minister. It is an official public holiday in every state and territory of Australia, unless it falls on a weekend in which case the following Monday becomes a public holiday instead. With community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies, the day is celebrated in large and small communities and cities around the nation. Australia Day has become the biggest annual civic event in Australia.
Australia Day Wine
So what is your favourite (if you have one) Australian style of wine?
I enjoy many wines from Australia and as often my preferred wines are flavoursome and fruity, Australia can amply provide me there. But today I was reminded of why I love the WSET courses so much.
Australia Day Wine – luscious and silky
One young lady who did the WSET Level 2 Wines and Spirits course with me last year said to me today, ‘Erica I need to tell you that I have converted my dad to sweet wine, but not any sweet wine it was Rutherglen Muscat’. These luscious wines are made from raisoned grapes, fortified, and then aged in old oak casks of various sizes, the ageing is for heavily oxidative (rancio) characters, coffee, raisins, figs, treacle, chocolate, etc. This is not a wine that we are suggested to show as one of the recommended samples on the WSET Level 2 course, but for some courses I like to add a wine that I feel is appropriate for the particular group.
So although previously her father would not have entertained sweet wines she now has a fully-fledged convert and that is the power of wine education. And what do we mean by sweet? Well, there are different levels of sweetness the first one ranging in residual sugar (r/s) of 180-240 grams per litre with some of the Rare and Grand ones potentially having 400 grams!
I am not Australian but I am more than happy to raise a glass to you all and now she comes to mention it I think it needs to be a Rutherglen Muscat. Cheers!
Australia Day Wine written by Erica Dent AIWS, Enjoy Discovering Wine
Not sure what level of wine knowledge you already have?