Wine Regions - Search Cellar Link's wine store

Australian Wine Regions

The Australian wine industry is the geographic division of the country into wine zones, wine regions and sub-regions. This is referred to as Geographic Indications (GI) and governs the wine making process. Vineyards are located in every state of Australia and Australia's Geographic Indications (GI) comprise: 8 States or Territories (within the country); 28 Zones (within a State); 62 Regions (within a Zone); and, 12 Sub-regions (within a Region).

The land, its soil, aspect and topography as well as the climate are fundamental in shaping the character of wine. Wines become known by their place of origin so it is necessary to protect the integrity of named regional wines. Wine carrying a regional name must have 85% of the fruit sourced from that region.

The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) determines the geographic boundaries of regions, firstly by the soil type and secondly the climate. The process of determining a region (or sub-region) is a lengthy one involving both the industry and the government.

The defining of Australia's wine regions allows winemakers to accurately name the zone, region or sub-region from which the grapes were sourced. In conjunction with Australia's label integrity program, this ensures that what is stated on the label matches what is in the bottle.

Australia has 51 wine regions and 9 sub-regions. Click the links below to see wines from these regions: