Location / geography
When you’re visiting the wine regions of Victoria, Australia, here’s what you need to know about location. The state of Victoria is Australia’s second smallest state after Tasmania. It is located in the south-east of the country and borders New South Wales to the north and South Australia to the west. The state of South Australia is directly to the west of Victoria. The ocean forms Victoria’s southern and eastern borders.
Grapes
Victoria’s climate offers an opportunity to experiment with other grape varieties that don’t grow well in cooler climates, such as sauvignon blanc and shiraz. Its diverse geographic features also allow for a wide range of fruits to be blended into one wine, providing a complex flavor profile. Wine enthusiasts can find pinot noirs, chardonnays, rieslings and sparkling wines from Victoria in wineries around the world.
History
When you think of Australia, you probably think of wine from the Barossa Valley. Or maybe from Coonawarra. But it’s actually Victoria that has the longest history in the country for producing wines.
Today, Victorian wines are known for their excellent quality and acidity. The region is quite varied, with cool climates at higher elevations and warm ones lower down. You can even find desert wine produced here! While some wineries grow grapes for other producers, most use their own products to make delicious wines right there on-site.
The first vines arrived in what is today known as Victoria way back in 1838 when they were brought over by Charles Joseph La Trobe, who was then superintendent of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales (which later became Victoria). However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that significant amounts of land were planted with vines and winemaking began to be a significant industry here.
Wine appellations
Victoria is a great setting for viticulture, with a Mediterranean climate and an abundance of soil types. Five main wine regions comprise Victoria: Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Macedon Ranges and Goulburn Valley.
Wines to know
There are a few wine regions in Victoria that you should know about. The Mornington Peninsula Wines region on the northern side of Port Phillip Bay is known for fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; Mount Langi Ghiran is home to some of Australia’s best Shiraz, and Grampians Wines in western Victoria has some standout Riesling wines.
The Yarra Valley (pronounced Yarr-uh), just 40 minutes east of Melbourne, is probably the most well-known wine region in Victoria. But you won’t find much variety here – it’s all Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Victoria winemakers have a reputation for making refined, elegant and approachable wines. However, they also make some of the country’s best sparkling wine and fortified wines.
The same state that gave us a pair of iconic wines, Grange and Barossa, is also home to some of the country’s most sophisticated wineries. The wine regions are located in the south east of Victoria, where most of the grape varieties have been planted for hundreds of years.
There are over 400 wineries in Victoria producing over 1000 unique wines, and it’s quite an impressive number! Of these over 150 are boutique producers with less than 200 acres under vine. As you might expect from a relatively small state they all produce top quality wines and great value too, particularly their sparkling whites and fortifieds.
Of course you don’t need to know anything about wine before you can try any of these – just go straight to CUBANI’s online store where more than 50 Australian made wines can be ordered without having to traipse off to the local cellar door!