Off the beaten wine track but only a short drive from Melbourne city, the Sunbury wine region is home to historic wineries, elegant wines and a flourishing food scene.
Getting to the Sunbury wine region is easy – it’s the closest region to Melbourne city – and staying is easier. You’ll find a rapidly growing food scene in the town of Sunbury, parklands and wildlife, and historical sites including 150-year-old wineries.
A range of grape varieties thrive in the region’s historic and modern vineyards, producing premium, cool-climate wines that make this under-the-radar region well worth discovering.
Read on for more about Sunbury.
Climate and Altitude
The Sunbury wine region has a cool, dry, maritime-influenced climate, and this combined with its gently undulating plains and valleys creates excellent conditions for producing elegant wines.
The Environment
The Sunbury wine region is about a 30-minute drive north-west of Melbourne’s CBD, with Melbourne Airport technically within its boundaries. Most of its vineyards and wineries are close to the main town of Sunbury and within an easy drive of each other.
Climate
The cooler climate means mild to warm summer days, cool winters and crisp nights. Cool winds often blow over the plains during the summer months.
Soil
Soils are typically dark and vary in depth and structure from lower-level plains to hillsides.
Top Varieties Grown
SHIRAZ
Shiraz is the most important grape in the region, producing elegant wines with an impressive array of black pepper, spice and black cherry flavours. Top examples promise to age well over many years.
CHARDONNAY
Sunbury’s cool climate produces elegant, vibrant Chardonnay wines with good natural acidity.
VIOGNIER
This variety is perfectly suited to the Sunbury climate and the region produces rich and elegant Viognier wines with delicious apricot, melon and spice flavours.
