Shiraz and Semillon

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If you love wine, you probably know the Shiraz. It's one of my favorite wines, and it's what the Hunter Valley region of Australia is known for (at least, the one we Americans know about).

The Hunter is one of the more dry regions of Australia, so the Shiraz grows well there. But their other specialty is Semillon, and it's DELISH. Seriously. I don't usually like white wines, but I LOVED this… so much we bought two bottles to bring home. Unfortunately, it's not sold much in the United States, but I can promise you I'll be searching for it once I get home. Well, once these two bottles are gone! :)

Here are some other things I've learned about Australian wine:

• They are big proponents of screw-top caps. Apparently, it preserves the wine better than a cork, and you can store the bottles upright. But, they often put cork in their bottles intended for the U.S., since we are all apparently very discriminating against screw tops. Who knew? I plan to lead the charge for the acceptance of screw-top caps. I'm not too great with a wine opener anyway!

• Australian wine comes from all over the country. It's not just in one area. The entire country is very wine-friendly, and it's pretty common for a winery to have vineyards in different areas, then blend them for even more amazing wines.

• Some of the vines are more than 100 years old. Crazy!

• Harvest time is in March and April (late summer-early fall).

Here are a couple pics of the Hunter Valley wine region (the one we visited), which is the oldest wine region in Australia and home to more than 120 wineries. Each winery is super unique - in the stories behind the wines, the family history and even the look of their facilities.