Mornington Peninsula wine region

Tucked into the bottom of mainland Australia and surrounded by water, Mornington Peninsula is a top tourist destination that’s making waves on the world wine scene.

Just over an hour from Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is popular for weekend getaways and is one of Australia’s food and wine hotspots. Think coastal views, green pastures and award-winning cellar doors and restaurants dotted among villages.

The wine here is some of Australia’s best, made by a collaborative community of winemakers and many family-run vineyards. It’s a seaside region ruled by perfectionists.

Read on for more about the Mornington Peninsula.

38° 35’S

latitude

145° 05’E

longitude

976HA

total vineyard area

Climate and Altitude

The Mornington Peninsula has a cool climate and low altitude, with crisp cool breezes from the surrounding bodies of water.

371MM

growing season rainfall

19.3C

mean temperature

0-315M

altitude

The Environment

The Mornington Peninsula wine region is just over an hour from Melbourne. It’s surrounded by three bodies of water and ripples with ridges and hills from volcanic activity 60 million years ago.

Climate

With its maritime climate and southern location, the Mornington Peninsula is cooler than most other parts of Australia. There’s often wind and rain during the grape-growing summer months of November and December, which create perfect conditions for the region’s signature varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Soil

There’s a surprising array of soils in this relatively small growing area, including volcanic and sandy soils.

The Makers

Martin Spedding

Kate McIntyre MW

Stuart Marshall

Top Varieties Grown

PINOT GRIS/GRIGIO

The Mornington Peninsula has ideal growing conditions for this white variety. It’s a refreshing wine with flavours of citrus, apple and pear.

CHARDONNAY

Premium benchmark Australian wines with delicate flavours of melon, white peach and citrus, and a soft texture. Some can be aged for 10 years or more.

PINOT NOIR

This is the star of the Mornington Peninsula wine region. There’s a huge diversity of styles but typically it’s a lighter red wine with zingy acidity and complex flavours of cherry and strawberry.