Grapes arrived in Australia from the Cape in the late 1780s. In the first half of the 19th century viticulture was spread throughout much of the country by a mix of European immigrants, including Italians, Germans, Croatians and Swiss. New techniques modernised Australian wine production in the 1950s and exports boomed in the 1980s as premium grape varieties took over in the country's vineyards. This is a country of constant reinvention where every imaginable style of wine is produced and is currently undergoing something of a quality-driven renaissance.
