QA Blog

As you know the QA hotel’s function rooms are set in the original cellars of the building built in the late 1800’s.  The rooms remind us to celebrate our Aussie wine heritage and we felt that a little reference to the wonderful journey that Australian wines have taken would not be remiss.

Over the past fifty years Australia has steadily developed techniques that have caused grape growers everywhere to look down, or rather, to take a serious look ‘Down Under’at Australia’s wine revolution.

We Aussies are famous for our ability to blend grapes to produce rich and memorably good-tasting wines.  Did you know that our technology and mechanized wine-making processes are respected the world over by other influential wine making nations’ eager to discover the reasons behind our success?

Internationally Shiraz is an Aussie star, though we are quite well known for our Cabernet Sauvignons.  Known in various countries as Shiraz, this robust red grape is historically known as Syrah and hails from Southeastern France where it has been cultivated since Roman times.

Shiraz traveled to Australia by way of South Africa where it took on rock star notoriety. It also pairs heroically with meat—red meat and its decidedly carnivorous streak has made it the darling of the Down Under wine market.

In Australia we devote more acreage to this grape than any other and it would appear that, worldwide, it’s paying off.

But Shiraz isn’t Australia’s only story.  The Coonawarra region in southern Australia is famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon and we also produce noteworthy Reislings and Chardonnays.   Additionally, we produce decidedly good Merlots.

Aussie vintners are revered for their ability to blend different strains of grapes to make great-tasting wines that typically do not need to mature in order to please the palate of wine lovers.

Did you know that presently Australia contains  more than one thousand wineries with twenty-six distinctive wine regions.  Some of the country’s major wineries include Yalumba, Peter Lehmann, Penfolds, Seppelt, Wolf Blass, and Orlando.

They are known for the exceptional quality of their wines worldwide.  However, several small (and often family-owned) wineries around the continent have the prestige of being regarded as boutique wineries and offer some of the highest quality wine in the nation.

Among these are Chambers Rosewood Winery and Setanta Wines.  Some of Australia’s most famed wine regions are Barossa Valley of South Australia, Glenrowan of Victoria, Riverina of New South Wales, and Margaret River of Western Australia.

Why not pop in to the QA Hotel and celebrate a little of Australia’s wine history.  We look forward to celebrating with you.