Wineries of Victoria – We’re Coming For You!

 If you’re a regular TC reader, you’ll be aware that Mr Spittoon and I left Perth nearly 2 months ago to start a new adventure in Victoria. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave my beloved Western Australian wine scene behind. But when I heard VIC has the most winery cellar doors out of all the Australian states – I started to consider it.

So we packed up our belongings (yet again – see my about me page for more info) to follow new career opportunities. As a result, we are now based in Gippsland, Victoria in a town of about 15,000 people, 3 hours east of Melbourne.

As we have family friends who live in Melbourne, we have been lucky enough to visit a few of the different wine regions and wineries in VIC already. Including the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Bellarine (Geelong) and Gippsland. However, it’s safe to say we are going to visit a helluva lot more over the next few years.

Which is why I wanted to put this post together, partly research for me, but also an introduction on the blog to the wineries of Victoria.

Victoria Wine Regions

So firstly, let’s take a look at the wine regions of Victoria.

Basically, the state can be divided up into 6 sections and there looks to be a total of 21 different wine regions:

• Outer Melbourne:
  • Yarra Valley
  • Mornington Peninsula
  • Geelong / Bellarine Peninsula
  • Macedon Ranges
  • Sunbury
• Central Victoria
  • Bendigo
  • Hethcote
  • Goulburn Valley
  • Strathbogie Ranges
• North-East Victoria
  • Rutherglen
  • Beechworth
  • Alpine Valleys
  • King Valley
  • Glenrowan
• South-East Victoria
  • Gippsland
• Western Victoria
  • Pyrenees
  • Grampians
  • Henty
  • Ballarat
• North-West Victoria
  • Murray Darling
  • Swan Hill

According to the Visit Victoria website, there are more than 800 wineries in Victoria and 600 cellar doors. That’s a lot of wine tasting to be had! And it’s pretty impressive considering VIC is the second smallest state in Australia.

View from Jack Rabbit Vineyard – Bellarine Wineries

Fun Victoria Wine Facts

I love to research, so since moving to Victoria, I have been doing a ton of reading on the wine scene here. There’s a few bits and pieces I have read along the way which you may find interesting too:

• Shadowfax is one of, if not the closest cellar doors to Melbourne being only a 30-minute drive
• The King Valley in VIC’s north-east is known as Australia’s ‘Little Italy’ because it grows a number of Italian grape varieties
• There’s a lot of diversity when it comes to the wineries of Victoria due to varying climates throughout the state
• The Alpine Valleys region is one of the most visited wine regions in Australia due to many people stopping in on their skiing holidays
• Beechworth is known for producing intense and complex Chardonnay
• The first grape vines were planted in the Bendigo region in 1856, they are particularly known for producing outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon
• Small, family-owned wineries populate the Gippsland wine region
• Glenrowan and Rutherglen produce world-renowned fortified wines
• Tahbilk still produces wine from vines planted in the 1860s
• The Goulburn Valley is home to the oldest and largest plantings of Marsanne grape vines in the world
• Shiraz is synonymous with the Heathcote wine region
• Riesling is the stand out variety in the Henty wine region

There’s so much to learn! I was lucky enough to get a copy of the latest wineriesplus.com.au Wineries of Victoria magazine (thanks Mum & Dad!) which I am working my way through.

However, you can also find a ton of information on the Visit Victoria website and on the Wine Australia website.

Domaine Chandon, Yarra Valley

My Wineries of Victoria Bucket List

Do you think it’s doable to visit all the cellar doors?

Well, I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, so here’s to slowly tick them off over the coming years.

To keep a record, I will be updating this post as I go along:

1. Domain Chandon, Yarra Valley 2012
2. Oakridge Wines, Yarra Valley, 2012
3. Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley, 2012
4. Train Trak, Yarra Valley, 2012
5. De Bortoli, Yarra Valley, 2012
6. Wild Cattle Creek Estate, Yarra Valley, 2012
7. Whispering Hills Vineyard, Yarra Valley, 2012
8. Ten Minutes by Tractor, Mornington Peninsula, 2017
9. T’Gallant, Mornington Peninsula, 2017
10. Foxeys Hangout, Mornington Peninsula, 2017
11. Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Bellarine Peninsula, 2017
12. Terindah Estate, Bellarine Peninsula, 2017
13. One Day Estate, Bellarine Peninsula, 2017
14. Leura Park Estate, Bellarine Peninsula, 2017
15. Basils Farm, Bellarine Peninsula, 2017
16. Avon Ridge Vineyard, Gippsland, 2018
17. Narkoojee, Gippsland, 2018
18. Glenmaggie Wines, Gippsland, 2018
19. Blue Gables Vineyard, Gippsland, 2018
20. Lightfoot and Sons, Gippsland, 2018
21. Tambo Winery, Gippsland, 2018
22. Nicholson River Winery, Gippsland, 2018
23. Wyanga Park Winery, 2018
24. Toms Cap Winery, 2019

Victoria Wine Reviews:

• Blue Gables Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Gris
• Dal Zotto Arneis
• Lightfoot & Sons Rose
• Mount Avoca Moates Lane Rose
• Tahbilk Grenache Mourvedre Rose
• Tahbilk Pinot Gris
• Tahbilk Marsanne
• Tahbilk Old Vines Cabernet Shiraz
• Toms Cap 2018 3 Dop Riesling
• Toms Cap 2017 3 Dog Chardonnay
• Wild Dog Sparkling Wine

Stay tuned for more Victoria winery adventures on the blog over the coming months!

If you have any tips, advice or suggestions on wine travel in Victoria, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.