Last night, I taught our once-a-year Top 10 Regions wine class on the wines of Australia, and, just as was the case with the Napa Valley class a month or so ago, this was chock-full of surprises. Every class is, of course, but this one really went a long way toward dispelling that most persistent of Australian-wine myths: That they’re all over-extracted, high-octane fruit bombs that would pair better with a Cohiba than with actual food.
Sure, there were some big wines in the mix, but all of them, even the most powerful, demonstrated a sense of finesse alongside their brawnier attributes. It was just more proof that Australia is a land of varied climates, divergent terroirs, and wonderful wines produced in any number of styles.