132. Australian Wine History - Why a "New World" Country Has Some of the World's Oldest Vines

Episode 132: Australian Wine History - Why a "New World" Country Has Some of the World's Oldest Vines Host: Joanne Close

Episode Length: [Insert Duration]

Release Date: October 6, 2026

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Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle Barossa Shiraz and Eden and Clare Valley Riesling are classic Australian wines that come up on the WSET Level 2 exam. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle gives you realistic practice questions in the same format as the real exam, so you can find your weak spots before exam day and walk in feeling prepared.

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Episode Description In part two of the Australian wine history series, Joanne follows the vines as they spread out from New South Wales. Australia is roughly the size of the United States, so this part of the story reads more like a migration map: wherever people settled, vines went with them.

In Victoria, the 1851 gold rush grew the population sixfold in a decade and created something every wine industry needs, which is customers. In South Australia, a free settler colony attracted farmers, tradespeople and families, including German settlers who brought their viticultural knowledge and their vines. That is why Riesling grows in the Eden and Clare Valleys today. Joanne also tells the story of how the Barossa got its name, typo and all.

Then phylloxera arrives. Joanne explains what this tiny insect does to vine roots, why Victoria's wine industry slumped when it hit, and how South Australia's early vine protection laws kept the insect out completely. The result is that a country we've long called "New World" still has 19th century vines in the ground. These vines are now protected by the Barossa Old Vine Charter, and many of them are planted to Shiraz.

What You'll Learn in This Episode How Vines Spread Across Australia Why the distances between Australian wine regions matter, from Sydney to Melbourne to Adelaide How the spread of vines followed patterns of settlement and immigration Victoria and the Gold Rush Victoria becoming a separate colony from New South Wales in 1851 How the gold rush increased the population sixfold between 1851 and 1861 Why consumer demand has such a big influence on the wine industry South Australia and the German Settlers Why South Australia was founded in 1836 as a free settler colony rather than