First planted in Victoria in the 1840s, most vines were uprooted and burnt following the discovery of phylloxera near Geelong in 1877. While the Victorian winemaking industry eventually recovered with the planting of some five million new rootlings from American phylloxera-resistant stock, it wasn't until the last 30 years of the twentieth century, with new regions and wineries being developed, that Victoria regained its position as an important producer. The wide climatic variations allow Victoria produce a diverse range of wines from elegant sparkling wines to full bodied reds and fortified wines.
Less than an hour's drive east of Melbourne's CBD, the Yarra Valley is one of Australia's most picturesque wine regions and a source of some of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Australia. The region also produces excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. Vines were first planted in 1838, and viticulture spread rapidly through the 1860s and 1870s. Declining soil fertility and the move towards fortified wine production saw production cease in 1921. Although replanting in the Yarra Valley began in the late 1960s, it was not until the early 1990s that the area under vine surpassed its earlier peak. Although there is substantial variation in climate, even the warmest sites are comparatively cool, with mean January temperatures reaching just 18.6°C. The topography is varied, ranging from river flats to steep slopes, where north-facing slopes are strongly preferred. The soil can generally be split into two basic types: deep and fertile red volcanic soil on the southern side of the valley; and grey to grey-brown on the surface ranging from loamy sand to clay loam with red-brown clay subsoils on the northern side of the valley. The soil is relatively acidic and low in fertility but generally well drained.
The Murray Darling is a vast region stretching from North West Victoria to Western New South Wales. Concentrated around the centres of Mildura, Red Cliffs, Robinvale, Euston and Merbein, vines thrive in the hot sun and low humidity of this large, flat and dry region, producing Chardonnay and Shiraz for a range of commercial table wines. The climate throughout this large region, which covers more than 350 kilometres, is hot, with long sunshine hours, low humidity and little growing season rainfall - making agricultural irrigation a necessity. The soil is unique to the Murray River system and is known technically as calcareous earth. It ranges from brown to red-brown loamy sand, sandy loam or loam. The surface is neutral to moderately alkaline with increasing alkalinity at depth as textures become more clayey and calcareous. Generally, the soil supports vigorous growth and high grape yields.
Situated on the slopes of the Mount Camel Range, north of Heathcote, the region produces high quality cool climate Shiraz, and a small amount of Grenache and Merlot. The region benefits from an easterly aspect which ensures good exposure to the sun whilst the prevailing cool south to south-east winds, that blow throughout the growing period from October to March, moderate the impact of the afternoon heat in summer. Summer temperatures are two to three degrees lower than nearby Bendigo. Rainfall is surprisingly evenly spread during the year and spring frost is seldom a problem. The slopes of the Mt Camel Range offer deep red clay-loam soil and with fine structure overlying uniformly textured red calcareous sodic clay soils, known as Cambrian Greenstones and, in their local manifestation, as the Heathcote Greenstone Belt.
The Grampians region in Western Victoria, 218km west of Melbourne, was first planted to vine in 1863. Located on the fringes of the Great Dividing Range, the Grampians region has a significantly cooler climate than those areas to the east, warming to the north-west. Although the Grampians region is primarily a red wine area, its cool, dry climate has helped establish the region as Australia's first for sparkling wines. High sunshine hours during growing-season and moderate relative humidity help offset the relatively low heat, making the region well suited to later ripening red varieties, particularly Shiraz. The low level of rainfall, however, has attributed to the disappearance of old, low-yielding vineyards. The region is extremely varied with a series of low-angled sandstone ridges running roughly north-south and spectacular ridges on the western side of the Grampian Mountains, where the sedimentary layers have faulted. Spring frosts and the limited water necessitate great care in site selection. Soil is not especially fertile, and unless the pH is significantly increased by the addition of lime and/or gypsum, vine vigour and crop yield will be affected. There are two principal soil types: acidic grey and grey brown loamy sands and clay loam soils; and acidic hard yellow soil with structured clay subsoils, often requiring lime adjustment.
Most possibly the southern-most vineyard on the Australian mainland, Drumborg was established by Karl Seppelt in 1964 and now mainly produces the three classic grape varieties of Champagne: Chardonnay; Pinot Noir; and Pinot Meunier. This is the coolest of the wine growing regions on the Australian mainland, however the ample number of sunshine hours results in a climate not unlike that of Northern Europe.
Located in Victoria's north-east, the Glenrowan region is named after the Rowan family, who settled in the area in the 1840s and 1850s. In the early 1860s, the Bailey family established themselves on their Bundarra property, situated north-west of the town. They planted vines on the rich red granite soil beneath the Warby Ranges. Due to the success of their fortified wines, the vineyard was quickly expanded and in the next 20 years created a thriving local and export wine business. In the late 1890s and early 1900s Phylloxera devastated the region. Vineyards were quickly replanted with disease-resistant rootstock and winemaking continued. The 1990s brought about another period of rapid expansion. The soil is well-drained, fertile, deep red clay and loamy clay. On the Ranges themselves are red and yellow soils well suited to vineyards. At Lake Mokoan, the soil is dark clay, loams and silty sands. The Glenrowan region benefits from a warm climate, slightly cooler in January, drier during the growing season and wetter year round producing robust red and rich fortified wine.
Located in the Port Phillip area of Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula region enjoys a 'maritime' climate, with the wind blowing from either the north and west across Port Phillip Bay or from the south and east across Bass Strait. The relatively cool climate ensures growers make careful consideration of site and aspect. The region enjoys relatively high humidity and sunshine hours with plentiful rainfall during winter and spring. The Peninsula's summer heat is generally maintained through till March, only starting to decline during April, often providing 'Indian summer' conditions. Below the gently undulating hills and open landscape are four principal soil types. Hard mottled yellow duplex soils with a very distinct break marked by a thin, acid cement/sand pan between the surface soil and the underlying friable, well-drained clay are to be found in the Dromana area. Very deep and fertile red soils of volcanic origin (kraznozems) predominate around Red Hill and Main Ridge. Brown duplex soils can be found in the Merricks area and much sandier soils are in evidence at Moorooduc. The region's many different mesoclimates and range of sites combine to produce an eclectic and exotic variety of wines.
