132. Australian Wine History - Why a "New World" Country Has Some of the World's Oldest Vines

Episode 132: Australian Wine History - Why a "New World" Country Has Some of the World's Oldest Vines

Host: Joanne Close
Episode Length: [Insert Duration]
Release Date: October 6, 2026

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Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle

Barossa Shiraz and Eden and Clare Valley Riesling are classic Australian wines that come up on the WSET Level 2 exam. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle gives you realistic practice questions in the same format as the real exam, so you can find your weak spots before exam day and walk in feeling prepared.

https://joanne-close.mykajabi.com/offers/xeXeiyop/checkout

Episode Description

In part two of the Australian wine history series, Joanne follows the vines as they spread out from New South Wales. Australia is roughly the size of the United States, so this part of the story reads more like a migration map: wherever people settled, vines went with them.

In Victoria, the 1851 gold rush grew the population sixfold in a decade and created something every wine industry needs, which is customers. In South Australia, a free settler colony attracted farmers, tradespeople and families, including German settlers who brought their viticultural knowledge and their vines. That is why Riesling grows in the Eden and Clare Valleys today. Joanne also tells the story of how the Barossa got its name, typo and all.

Then phylloxera arrives. Joanne explains what this tiny insect does to vine roots, why Victoria's wine industry slumped when it hit, and how South Australia's early vine protection laws kept the insect out completely. The result is that a country we've long called "New World" still has 19th century vines in the ground. These vines are now protected by the Barossa Old Vine Charter, and many of them are planted to Shiraz.

What You'll Learn in This Episode How Vines Spread Across Australia

• Why the distances between Australian wine regions matter, from Sydney to Melbourne to Adelaide
• How the spread of vines followed patterns of settlement and immigration

Victoria and the Gold Rush

• Victoria becoming a separate colony from New South Wales in 1851
• How the gold rush increased the population sixfold between 1851 and 1861
• Why consumer demand has such a big influence on the wine industry

South Australia and the German Settlers

• Why South Australia was founded in 1836 as a free settler colony rather than a penal colony
• Vines planted near Adelaide by 1837
• How German settlers brought their agricultural traditions, viticultural knowledge and grapevines
• Why Riesling is grown in the Eden and Clare Valleys
• How the Barossa was named after a battle in Spain, and the spelling mistake that stuck

Phylloxera in Europe and Australia

• What phylloxera is and how it damages the roots of Vitis vinifera
• The identification of phylloxera in 1868 as European vineyards were devastated
• South Australia's strict vine protection legislation in 1874, passed before phylloxera reached Australia
• Phylloxera's discovery in Victoria in 1877 and the slump that followed as the gold ran out

The Barossa Old Vine Charter

• Why South Australia remains phylloxera free
• The 2009 Barossa Old Vine Charter and its four categories of old vines
• Why so many of these ancient vines are Shiraz, the grape James Busby brought from France

Episode Highlights and Quotes

"The gold rush doesn't just create miners, it creates towns, wealth, restaurants, hotels, agriculture, and most importantly for wine producers, customers."

"This, friend, is why we have Riesling in the Eden and Clare Valleys."

"They survived economic booms and busts. They survived changes in wine fashion, generations of growers, and crucially, they survived phylloxera because it never reached them."

Australian Wine History Quick Reference

1836: South Australia established as a free settler colony

1837: Vines being planted near Adelaide

1851: Victoria becomes a separate colony, and gold is discovered

1851 to 1861: Victoria's population increases sixfold

1860s: European vines begin dying from an unknown cause

1868: Phylloxera identified as the cause

1874: South Australia passes strict vine protection legislation

1877: Phylloxera discovered in Victoria

2009: Barossa Old Vine Charter created

Barossa Old Vine Charter Categories

Old Vine: 35 years or older

Survivor Vine: 70 years or older

Centenarian Vine: 100 years or older

Ancestor Vine: 125 years or older

Resources Mentioned

Episode 131: Australian Wine History - The Convicts Who Planted Australia's First Vines and the Wine Nerd Who Laid the Foundations

Barossa Old Vine Charter

James Busby

Australian Wine Class at Wine Educate, October 20, at The Independent in New Orleans

Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle - realistic practice questions to prepare for the WSET Level 2 exam: https://joanne-close.mykajabi.com/offers/xeXeiyop/checkout

Coming Up Next

Episode 133: Australian Wine History - [Insert Title]

Joanne turns to the grape at the heart of so many of the Barossa's oldest vines, Shiraz, and the story of how it became Australia's signature variety.

Connect with Wine Educate

Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/6648859973ba/newsletter - sign up for wine tips, quizzes, and episode updates delivered to your inbox every week.

Website: https://www.wineeducate.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wineeducate

Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and YouTube. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review and share it with fellow wine lovers. Reviews are the best way to help other WSET students find the show.

Listeners in Australia and Tasmania, Joanne would love to hear from you. Let her know if you live near a wine region and which local wines you love most by emailing joanne@wineeducate.com, and she may feature your stories in the newsletter.

About Wine Educate

Wine Educate is a WSET Approved Programme Provider offering internationally recognized wine certification courses. Through the podcast, Joanne Close makes wine education accessible to everyone, breaking down complex topics into practical, easy-to-understand lessons. Whether you are studying for your WSET certification or simply want to learn more about wine, you will find the guidance and knowledge you need to enjoy wine with confidence.

Episode 132 of the Wine Educate Podcast | Hosted by Joanne Close | © 2026 Wine Educate

A few things to check before you publish:

• Title format: I used the hyphen to match last week. If you decided to switch to the colon, change both titles.
• Victoria's date: The transcript says Victoria was settled in 1830. Permanent European settlement there is usually dated to 1834 to 1835 (Portland, then Melbourne). I left that date out of the notes so it can't be flagged.
• Barossa's name: The transcript's "General William Light" is probably "Surveyor-General" (he was Colonel William Light). The battle was the Battle of Barrosa, with two Rs, which is the misspelling story. I kept that section general, but you could add those details if you like.
• Still needed: the episode length and the Episode 133 title.

date Oct 6 9:49 I like the title, should I say that this is part two, I do not say the other one is part one

I'd leave "Part 2" out of the title. Episode 131 doesn't say "Part 1," so adding it here would make the series look inconsistent in podcast apps. The shared "Australian Wine History" name already shows the episodes belong together, and the episode numbers give the order.

The description already starts with "In part two of the Australian wine history series," and Resources Mentioned links back to Episode 131. Anyone who lands on this episode first will know where to start.

The only reason to number the parts is if you plan to go back and add "Part 1" to Episode 131 as well. It's a small edit, but it's one more thing to keep up as the series grows, so I'd skip it.

Here are the updated metadata lines:

Host: Joanne Close
Episode Length: 9:49
Release Date: October 6, 2026

ok give me the whole thing again so I can cut and paste

Episode 132: Australian Wine History - Why a "New World" Country Has Some of the World's Oldest Vines

Host: Joanne Close
Episode Length: 9:49
Release Date: October 6, 2026

Join the Wine Educate Newsletter

Get wine tips, episode updates, and exclusive content delivered to your inbox. Subscribe at https://mailchi.mp/6648859973ba/newsletter

Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle

Barossa Shiraz and Eden and Clare Valley Riesling are classic Australian wines that come up on the WSET Level 2 exam. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle gives you realistic practice questions in the same format as the real exam, so you can find your weak spots before exam day and walk in feeling prepared.

https://joanne-close.mykajabi.com/offers/xeXeiyop/checkout

Episode Description

In part two of the Australian wine history series, Joanne follows the vines as they spread out from New South Wales. Australia is roughly the size of the United States, so this part of the story reads more like a migration map: wherever people settled, vines went with them.

In Victoria, the 1851 gold rush grew the population sixfold in a decade and created something every wine industry needs, which is customers. In South Australia, a free settler colony attracted farmers, tradespeople and families, including German settlers who brought their viticultural knowledge and their vines. That is why Riesling grows in the Eden and Clare Valleys today. Joanne also tells the story of how the Barossa got its name, typo and all.

Then phylloxera arrives. Joanne explains what this tiny insect does to vine roots, why Victoria's wine industry slumped when it hit, and how South Australia's early vine protection laws kept the insect out completely. The result is that a country we've long called "New World" still has 19th century vines in the ground. These vines are now protected by the Barossa Old Vine Charter, and many of them are planted to Shiraz.

What You'll Learn in This Episode How Vines Spread Across Australia

• Why the distances between Australian wine regions matter, from Sydney to Melbourne to Adelaide
• How the spread of vines followed patterns of settlement and immigration

Victoria and the Gold Rush

• Victoria becoming a separate colony from New South Wales in 1851
• How the gold rush increased the population sixfold between 1851 and 1861
• Why consumer demand has such a big influence on the wine industry

South Australia and the German Settlers

• Why South Australia was founded in 1836 as a free settler colony rather than a penal colony
• Vines planted near Adelaide by 1837
• How German settlers brought their agricultural traditions, viticultural knowledge and grapevines
• Why Riesling is grown in the Eden and Clare Valleys
• How the Barossa was named after a battle in Spain, and the spelling mistake that stuck

Phylloxera in Europe and Australia

• What phylloxera is and how it damages the roots of Vitis vinifera
• The identification of phylloxera in 1868 as European vineyards were devastated
• South Australia's strict vine protection legislation in 1874, passed before phylloxera reached Australia
• Phylloxera's discovery in Victoria in 1877 and the slump that followed as the gold ran out

The Barossa Old Vine Charter

• Why South Australia remains phylloxera free
• The 2009 Barossa Old Vine Charter and its four categories of old vines
• Why so many of these ancient vines are Shiraz, the grape James Busby brought from France

Episode Highlights and Quotes

"The gold rush doesn't just create miners, it creates towns, wealth, restaurants, hotels, agriculture, and most importantly for wine producers, customers."

"This, friend, is why we have Riesling in the Eden and Clare Valleys."

"They survived economic booms and busts. They survived changes in wine fashion, generations of growers, and crucially, they survived phylloxera because it never reached them."

Australian Wine History Quick Reference

1836: South Australia established as a free settler colony

1837: Vines being planted near Adelaide

1851: Victoria becomes a separate colony, and gold is discovered

1851 to 1861: Victoria's population increases sixfold

1860s: European vines begin dying from an unknown cause

1868: Phylloxera identified as the cause

1874: South Australia passes strict vine protection legislation

1877: Phylloxera discovered in Victoria

2009: Barossa Old Vine Charter created

Barossa Old Vine Charter Categories

Old Vine: 35 years or older

Survivor Vine: 70 years or older

Centenarian Vine: 100 years or older

Ancestor Vine: 125 years or older

Resources Mentioned

Episode 131: Australian Wine History - The Convicts Who Planted Australia's First Vines and the Wine Nerd Who Laid the Foundations

Barossa Old Vine Charter

James Busby

Australian Wine Class at Wine Educate, October 20, at The Independent in New Orleans

Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle - realistic practice questions to prepare for the WSET Level 2 exam: https://joanne-close.mykajabi.com/offers/xeXeiyop/checkout

Coming Up Next

Episode 133: Australian Wine History - [Insert Title]

Joanne turns to the grape at the heart of so many of the Barossa's oldest vines, Shiraz, and the story of how it became Australia's signature variety.

Connect with Wine Educate

Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/6648859973ba/newsletter - sign up for wine tips, quizzes, and episode updates delivered to your inbox every week.

Website: https://www.wineeducate.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wineeducate

Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and YouTube. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review and share it with fellow wine lovers. Reviews are the best way to help other WSET students find the show.

Listeners in Australia and Tasmania, Joanne would love to hear from you. Let her know if you live near a wine region and which local wines you love most by emailing joanne@wineeducate.com, and she may feature your stories in the newsletter.

About Wine Educate

Wine Educate is a WSET Approved Programme Provider offering internationally recognized wine certification courses. Through the podcast, Joanne Close makes wine education accessible to everyone, breaking down complex topics into practical, easy-to-understand lessons. Whether you are studying for your WSET certification or simply want to learn more about wine, you will find the guidance and knowledge you need to enjoy wine with confidence.

Episode 132 of the Wine Educate Podcast | Hosted by Joanne Close | © 2026 Wine Educate