Australia's Most Popular Wines

Australian wine is diverse; from elegant cold climate sparkling wines, to rich reds grown in sun-drenched vineyards. So which wine varieties are we loving the most? Read on as we shine a light on Australia’s most popular wine varieties.

01. SHIRAZ

Bright, bold and full of personality, Shiraz is Australia’s most popular variety. The fruit itself, grows in almost every wine region of Australia and accounts for one-quarter of total wine production. It's also Australia's most exported wine. Shiraz has a long history here, and regions including the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale are home to some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world. 

There’s no single style of Aussie Shiraz – winemakers produce styles ranging from delicious, everyday drinking to collectible fine wines. Warmer-climate regions such as the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale typically produce powerful, full-flavoured styles with bold fruity flavours. From cooler-climate regions like the Adelaide Hills, the Grampians and Mount Barker in the Great Southern, you can usually expect lighter, more elegant Shiraz wines, often with flavours of pepper and spice. Try our 2019 Dinastia Shiraz II Here >

Typical wine flavours: dark cherry, plum, chocolate 

02. PINOT NOIR

Pinot Noir has become a favourite in Australian restaurants and bars, and exports are on the rise. People love it for its bright red-fruit flavours, silky mouthfeel and ability to match easily with food. But unlike Shiraz, an easy-going grape, grown across the country, Pinot Noir is an extremely sensitive vine, making it one of the hardest to grow. It prefers cooler climates and found its feet in Australia when cool-climate regions like Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and Mornington Peninsula took off. Today its quality has never been better. 

Australian Pinot Noir wines are silky, elegant and food-friendly, and are typically lighter in style than bold reds like Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Try our 2021 Dinastia Pinot Noir here >

Typical wine flavours: cherry, strawberry, raspberry

03. CHARDONNAY

Chardonnay is Australia’s most planted white variety, and accounts for half of white wine production. Like Shiraz, it’s grown all over the country and used to make a huge range of wine styles – there’s no such thing as a typical Aussie Chardonnay. Broadly speaking, there are three main styles in Australia: unoaked (fresh and vibrant), oaked (full-flavoured and creamy) and sparkling. 

In the 1980s and 90s, Australia was known for its big, oaky styles of Chardonnay, but these days Chardonnay wines tend to be a bit more restrained and elegant. You’ll typically find lighter, brighter styles from cooler-climate regions like the Adelaide Hills, Tasmania and the Yarra Valley, and richer, more full-flavoured styles from warmer regions such as Margaret River and the Hunter Valley. Try 2020 Dinastia Chardonnay here >

Typical wine flavours: citrus, peach, nuts

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Find more posts about Australia’s top wine regions and wine styles along with the climate, soils and history that make Australia so unique - here on The Dinastia Wine Insider blog.

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