Australian wines were allowed to be a part of the most popular European export market if it can comply with the condition set by the European Commission Regulations in charge of the content and regional marketing for wines. 
The deal was to ensure that 85% of the wine’s content must comprise of harvests from the region indicated on the bottle.
The initial step needed was to establish wine regions. In 1980, the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) was founded to guarantee label veracity. There were no defined boundaries of the European regions so AWBC utilized geographical or physical indications to name the zones. A total of 62 wine regions were defined encompassing the eight zones. Subdividing these wine regions was also possible.
The regions, together with the sub-regions should be one land area where grapes are yielded. One region must have a harvest of not less than 500 tons of grapes every year. A wine region or sub region must also have at least five wineries for it to be recognized.
Wine regions may produce different kinds of wines depending on their soil type and climate. The other factors that may affect the grape quality, what kind of wine can be possibly made, and make them different from each and every region are the altitude and temperature aspect. These elements make the wines produced in a certain wine region unique and special.
The wine producers must keep reviewable records of the kind of grape used in a wine so consumers can be assured that the wine label exactly represents what is inside the bottle. This will ensure the quality and consistency of the wines being produced.
Here are just some of the few wine regions in Australia:
- Margaret River, Western Australia
- Barossa Valley, South Australia
- Hunter Valley, New South Wales
- Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
- Riverland, South Australia
- Yarra Valley, Victoria
Australian wine regions also contributed a lot to the country’s tourism industry. One’s visit in this country will never be complete without touring the becoming world renowned wine regions and wineries.
With Australian wine industry becoming world class, it looks like Australia is set to produce wines all of us will enjoy to perpetuity.
