The Winery Rainbow Serpent of Australie du Sud-Est

Discovering the wine region of Australie du Sud-Est

South East Australia is a geographical indication (GI) covering the entire south-eastern third of Australia. The western boundary of this area extends 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) across the Australian continent from the Pacific coast of Queensland to the Southern Ocean coast of South Australia. This vast wine 'super zone' effectively encompasses all the major Australian wine regions outside Western Australia. Rainforest, mountain ranges, scrubland, desert and Dry riverbeds occupy the majority of the land in the South East Australian area.

Only in the cooler coastal areas do vineyards play a significant role in the landscape. The GI covers the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in their entirety, as well as the south-eastern halves of Queensland and South Australia. The sheer Size of this area - and the diversity of its climates, topography and latitudes - makes it a GI of rather limited significance. Even the largest AVAs in the United States do not represent half of the area called South Eastern Australia.