Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

AUSSIE EATS & DRINKS 641
bottles). In the hotter parts of the country, you may be offered a polystyrene cup
in which to place your beer bottle or can to keep it cool.
Australian beers vary considerably in quality, but, of course, there’s no accounting
for tastes. Among the most popular are Victoria Bitter (known as “VB”),
XXXX (pronounced “four ex”), Fosters, and various brews produced by the
Tooheys company. All are popular in cans, bottles, or on tap (draft). My favorite
beer is Cascade, a German-style beer that you will usually find only in a bottle. It’s
light in color, strong in taste, and made from Tasmanian water straight off a
mountain. If you want to get plastered, try Coopers—it’s rather cloudy in looks,
very strong, and usually ends up causing a terrific hangover. Most Australian beers
range from 4.8% to 5.2% alcohol.
In New South Wales, beer is served by the glass in a “schooner” and a smaller
“midi”—though in a few places it’s also sold in British measurements, by pints
and half pints. In Victoria you should ask for a “pot,” or the less copious “glass.”
In South Australia a “schooner” is the size of a NSW “midi,” and in Western
Australia a “midi” is the same size as a New South Wales midi, but a glass about
half its size is called a “pony.” Confused? My advice is to gesture with your hands
like a local to show whether you want a small glass or a larger one.
By the way, you have to be 18 to buy alcohol.
THE VINO Australian winemaking has come a long way since the first grape
vines were brought to Australia on the First Fleet in 1788. These days, more
than 550 major companies and small winemakers produce wine commercially
in Australia. Vintages from Down Under consistently beat competitors from
other wine-producing nations in major international shows. The demand for
Australian wine overseas has increased so dramatically in the past few years that
domestic prices have risen, and new vineyards are being planted at a frantic pace.
Australian wines are generally named after the grape varieties from which they
are made. Of the white wines, both the fruity chardonnay and Riesling varieties;
the “herbaceous,” or “grassy” sauvignon blanc; and the dry semillon are big
favorites. Of the reds, the dry cabernet sauvignon, the fruity merlot, the burgundy-type
pinot noir, and the big and bold shiraz come out tops.
The best recent vintages are 1988 and 2002. The 2003 vintage also promises to
be a cracker, with low rainfall meaning smaller, and more intensely flavored grapes.