“When we painted Australia, we painted it like England,” says Stephen Pannell of the S.C. Pannell Winery in McLaren Vale. “You tend to copy what some other country does rather than stepping outside and saying, 'Who cares if they do it like that there?

If you’ve started to see more Australian wines in restaurants and fine wine shops across the country, don’t be surprised if the winemaker is nearby. As premium Aussie wine continues to grow in the US – exports above $US15 a bottle surged 35 percent in the first three months of 2017 – more and more winemakers are finding their way to the States, eager to share their wines and individual winemaking personalities.