Located on the hills of southeastern Australia is a region of vineyards that American wine lovers often overlook. The Victoria region has one of the country’s most diverse climates, terroirs, and varieties of wine.
I had the opportunity to join a trade event with Wine Victoria, the group advocating Victoria wines, led by Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast’s Australian expert with past residency in the country. Three Victoria winemakers—Kim Chalmers from Chalmers Wines, Matt Fowles of Fowles Wine, and Brenden Hawker from Yering Station—delved into the vast differences found within the region. This experience served as an unveiling of a new region for me offering breadth and diversity of Victoria’s wine offerings. One big highlight is the diversity of the region. From coastal plains to mountain ranges, and fertile agricultural land to rugged coastline.
Victoria spans over 90,000 square miles, encompassing 54,000 miles of vineyards made up mostly of 800 family vineyards. In this region, Victoria has 21 distinct areas producing wine. Moreover, its landscape offers a diverse and stunning panorama, ranging from majestic mountains to picturesque coastlines.
In Australia, the term “American Viticultural Area” (AVA) is not recognized. Instead, wine regions are typically referred to as Geographical Indications (GIs). These GIs are legally defined and protected areas that indicate the origin of wine and are governed by regulations that specify grape varieties, winemaking techniques, and other factors.
Wine regions include the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Sunbury, Macedon Ranges, Pyrenees, Grampians, Henty, Murray Darling/Mildura, Swan Hill, Bendigo, Heathcote, Goulburn Valley, Upper Goulburn, Strathbogie Ranges, Rutherglen, Beechworth, Alpine Valleys, King Valley, Glenrowan and Gippsland as well as subregions, which we won’t cover. With just an hour of tasting, we didn’t have the time to delve into all the regions.
Our wine line-up put a spotlight on several of these regions. Our first wine was the 2022 Chalmers Vermentino from the Heathcote GI, which is located North of Melbourne. Known for its differing terroirs in the upper and lower vineyards, the upper is a rocky terrain vs the famous red Cambrian soil. While the region is known for making rich-bodied Shiraz wines, the Chalmers family brought Italian varieties like Vermentino to Australia. For the last ten years, they have proven this region does Italian wine well. This was a great wine with citrus, stone fruit, and floral aromas along with a nice minerality.
Kim Chalmers told us, “We wanted to put a modern face on Victoria and Australian wine and connect people with the varieties that grow best and speak to their sense of place.”
The next wine was the 2021 Fowles Wine Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Wild Ferment Pinot Noir. This wine is made in the Strathbogie Ranges, a wine region known for its cool climate located in central Victoria, Australia, between the Great Dividing Range and the Goulburn River Valley. It is known for being a rugged and untouched region that has an almost prehistoric feel to it with big boulders and little topsoil. Winemaker Matt Fowles reflected on the uniqueness of the region, “I’ve never had anyone compare this region to another. With our unexplored geography, the clones matter more than the soil and we made this wine to pair with food.” I tasted notes of strawberry, cherry, mushroom, spice, and oak.
We moved to the 2020 Yering Station Shiraz Viognier from the Yarra Valley, which is another cool-climate hilly region. Winemaker Brendan Hawker talked about how the region is more of a ‘fruit salad’ since it has diverse geography and soils ranging from floodplains to gently rolling hills.” Yarra Valley’s first winery was founded in 1838 when a cattle family decided to expand (since then they have enlarged and replanted the vineyard). There is a particular style to the region, which is reflected by the cool climate, and maritime influences from the Port Phillip Bay.
I tasted a distinct Asian spice, blackberry, jasmine, cherries, raspberries, and orange peel. The wine is hand harvested and 2 percent of the Viognier was co-fermented with Shiraz.
Also from the Strathbogie Ranges region, we tried the 2019 Fowles Wine Farm to Table Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Merlot, which was very good and was a great value. I tasted notes of cherry, cassis, pepper, hazelnuts, and licorice. Matt also talked about a sustainable way the winery guards against pests. Microbats, which are small, insect-eating bats are natural predators of vineyard pests helping to reduce the need for chemical pesticides and allowing them to farm sustainably. Matt noted that these bats have saved them $50 million on sprays.
Our last wine was the NV Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Muscadelle from the Rutherglen region, an often overlooked region due to its remoteness. The Rutherglen wine region is in the northeast and is known for its history, fortified wines, and its Mediterranean climate. Some of the oldest wineries are situated here tracing back to the mid-19th century with vines up to 120 years old. The Muscadelle is different than Muscat. I tasted notes of honey, butterscotch, honey, and orange blossoms.
Victoria’s wine industry continues to focus on sustainability practices, innovation, and quality. The wineries are often farmed generations later by many of the same families. The diversity of each wine region makes it easier to distinguish the origin and characteristics of each wine.
I was thrilled to witness the rich diversity and quality of Victoria’s wine regions. Encompassing over 90,000 square miles and encompassing 21 GIs, Victoria has a range of terroirs and grape varieties. Our tasting journey highlighted wines from regions such as Heathcote, Strathbogie Ranges, Yarra Valley, and Rutherglen, offering a blend of innovation, including the introduction of Italian varieties blended with tradition. Victoria truly stands out as a special place in the world of wine.
