Wine Yarra Valley
Yarra Valley , Victoria
Winery Overview
There’s no place on earth like the Yarra Valley. Despite its 170-year legacy, it’s a hub for innovation and home to some of the most progressive and dynamic winemakers in the world. The Yarra Valley is an epicurean adventure and an unforgettable experience where craft and country come together to create cool-climate quality of international renown.
Since the dawn of humanity, the Yarra Valley has been a place of nourishment for its traditional custodians, the Wurundjeri people. This cultural significance – spanning over 50,000 years – imbues the land with a historical richness that has helped shape the values of those who work it.
The region has gone through vast agricultural expansions over the years. Between 1863 and 1875, the Kulin people transformed 4,850 acres of Coranderrk Station bushland into one of the most productive spots in the Yarra Valley.
In 1838, this became the site of Victoria’s first vineyard – a vineyard that would go on produce the southern hemisphere’s first grand prix winner in 1889, beginning the region’s long list of wine accolades.
With over eighty vineyards dispersed throughout Healesville, Coldstream, Yarra Glen, Seville and Lilydale, the Yarra Valley is Australia’s premier cool-climate region, and is renowned for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and méthode traditionnelle sparkling. In recent years, other highly acclaimed varieties have stolen the show, including Nebbiolo, Gamay, Arneis, Sangiovese and Savagnin.
One of the main factors that draw top wine-producing talent to the Yarra Valley is its climate. The region being one of the southernmost appellations of the Australian mainland, is exposed to southern ocean-originating weather patterns. It’s also influenced by variations in altitude and, of course, soil conditions. This means that the Yarra Valley’s total area under vine, which is around 2,500 hectares, benefits from various unique microclimates, giving life to an elegant array of distinct profiles. With a seven-month growing season and annual rainfall averaging between 750-950mm, the Yarra Valley is famously cool climate – colder than Bordeaux but slightly warmer than burgundy. Varying vineyard elevation, which ranges between 50 and 430m above sea level, also plays a significant part in the hallmark diversity of the region’s wines.
In the north, soil tends to be grey-brown with a consistency of sand to clay loam, with red-brown clay subsoils. It’s relatively acidic, low in fertility and well drained. South of the Yarra Valley is younger and more fertile, featuring intensely red volcanic soil.