Go Down Under with Australian Sparkling, Fortified, and Tasmanian Wines #worldwinetravel

Fill your kangaroo pouch with Australia's hidden alcoholic gems as the World Wine Travel prepares for a very precious excavation.

With or without Elon Musk, we are blowing up the Twitterverse on August 27 at 8am PDT/ 11am EST. Will you be there to join the chat with the World Wine Travelers?

We plan to have an exquisite discussion on our finds from down under. You can participate by following the hashtag #worldwinetravel on Twitter, and/or grab any bottle of Australian sparkling, fortified, or Tasmanian wine and taste along with us.

Australian Sparkling Wine

In case you didn't know, Australia has a burgeoning sparkling wine scene.

The regions of Tasmania, the Upper Yarra Valley, the Macedon Ranges, and parts of the Adelaide Hills are using the cool climate to their advantage to produce high acid, refreshing bubblies with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

According to Delicious magazine, "Aussie sparklings appear fruitier than champagnes. They’re more pronounced on the nose, riper on the palate, and often have some textural – phenolic – grip. This bolder character distinguishes them from champagne’s more delicate features."

In addition to sparkling white wines, let's not forget about SPARKLING SHIRAZ.

Though it hasn't quite taken off in the US yet (as I had hoped), you can still find several brands sold at Total Wine and BevMo.

Versatile and food friendly, much like Lambrusco, the red bubbles from Australia are often inexpensive too, since they come from inland Australia where mass grape growing takes place.

Australian Fortified Wine

Also running somewhat under the radar are Australian fortified wines where "Port" reigns queen. Since Port can only be named as such if it's made in Portugal (as of the 1990s), the Australians produce Tawny.

Predating much Australian wine production, tawny has a longer history in the country.

Instead of using Portugese grape varietals, tawny is made from shiraz, grenache, mataro or tourigo grapes. There are no restrictions to Australian tawny, and the style of wine is said to be more full bodied and sweeter than its Portugese counterparts.

Alkypal provides a Guide to Australian Tawny that is a good introduction this sweet wine.

Tasmanian Wine

Separated from the Australian mainland by the Bass Strait, Tasmania is an ideal growing ground for cool climate grapes.

While their main grape varietals are familiar (pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, and riesling), finding a Tasmanian wine in the US may be akin to locating a precious gem. It's out there somewhere, but where?

Maybe you can find a bottle you can share it with us.

How to Participate

If you would like to participate in our virtual Australian wine exploration, grab a bottle of any of the following wines:

1. Australian sparkling wine
2. Australian fortified wine
3. Tasmanian wine

On Saturday, August 27, join the Twitter chat at 8am PT/ 11am ET by using the #worldwinetravel hashtag.

Read, comment, and share each other’s posts on Australian sparkling, fortified, and Tasmanian wines.

Look forward to these posts from the Wine World Travel Group:

Lori is tasting “Tasmanian Sparkling and Egg Rolls” at Exploring the Wine Glass

Camilla is showcasing “Tasmania + Hawaii: Celebrating with an Island Wine and Island Eats” at Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Jeff shares how we can “Discover Rutherglen Stickies” at Food Wine Click!

Robin is pairing “Sparkling Wine from Jansz Tasmania and a Tassie-inspired seafood curry pie” at Crushed Grape Chronicles

Kat has a “Surprise!  South Australia Pét-Nat is on the Rise” at The Corkscrew Concierge

Susannah is featuring “Tasmanian Chardonnay” at Avvinare

Deanna is popping an “Australian Sparkling Wine from Deviation Road” at Wineivore

Linda is having "Sparkling Aussie Shiraz as summer draws to a close" at My Full Wine Glass

Nicole is pouring "Bubbles from Way Down Under: Jansz Premium Cuvée Brut from Tasmania with Lobster Tartines" at Somm's Table

Hope to see you down under!