The road to Gundagai
The Gundagai wine region has long been a place to gather and share stories. Halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, the iconic country town of Gundagai was an important meeting point for swagmen, drovers and shearers in the 19th century, and these days it’s a popular spot for road trippers to take a break. Home to a historic jail, bridges and a cafe that’s been running since 1902, it offers a taste of Australia’s past.
The Gundagai wine region is a meeting point of landscapes too: here the Snowy Mountains transition into the dry, arid plains of the Riverina. Vineyards thrive among farmlands and classic Australian bush. With the undulating Snowy Mountain foothills to the east and the Murrumbidgee River plains to the west, the region is diverse in its terrain and climate – and this translates to its wines, which range from sparkling styles and vibrant whites to full-flavoured reds.
The main towns in this historic area include Tumut, Cootamundra and the celebrated Gundagai, famous for its role in stories, poetry and songs about Australian bush folklore. It’s perhaps best known for being the home of the Dog on the Tuckerbox statue, which commemorates early European settlers. This is an up-and-coming region – despite a history of viticulture stretching back to the 1800s – and is rapidly building a reputation for its diverse and delicious wines.
Bold wines from diverse terrain
Gundagai is home to vast vineyards owned by large companies as well as boutique wineries and family-run vineyards and cellar doors. Borambola Wines was one of the early wineries to be established in the modern winemaking era, with Tim McMullen planting his first vines in 1995. Borambola Homestead, however, dates back to the 1880s, and its history is almost as colourful as that of Gundagai itself.
Borambola has been the centre of a pastoral empire of around 1.4 million acres, host to King Edward VIII (then Prince of Wales) and the breeding site of a Melbourne Cup-winning horse. It remains a family-owned business producing award-winning wines as well as beer and cider.
With both lower-lying warmer areas and elevated cooler sites, it can be hard to sum up Gundagai’s wine styles. Shiraz is a great example of the diversity on offer, ranging from robust and powerful styles grown in the lower plains, to elegant, spicier styles from vineyards up in the hills. But regardless of variety or style, you can generally expect intense flavours and aromas. Other standouts include Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as a growing range of alternative varieties, such as Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.
You’ll find some of these more unusual wines at Tumblong Hill, whose vineyard was originally planted by Southcorp Wines as part of the Penfold’s ‘Max Project’ to honour the legendary Max Schubert of Penfolds Grange. Current owners Danny Gilbert, Peter Leonard and Peter Waters took over in 2009, and today their undulating vineyards, planted on rich red volcanic soils, produce premium wines, including Barbera, Sangiovese and Fiano.
With so many stories told and many more yet to be written, the Gundagai wine region is a fascinating addition to Australian wine and promises big things to come.
