Exploring Victoria's Wine Regions: From the Cool climates of Yarra Valley to the Rich Reds of Heathcote

Victoria is one of the most diverse regions in Australia, and it is well-known for producing some of the best wines in the country. Victoria has 800 wineries in 21 different wine regions, each with unique characteristics and wine styles. Swiss, French, and German immigrants established many of the first vineyards.

One of the most prominent wine regions in Victoria is the Yarra Valley. Located just an hour's drive from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is a cool-climate wine region producing some of Australia's most elegant and refined wines. The region is characterized by mountains on either side, rolling hills, lush greenery, and a moderate climate, which makes it ideal for growing a wide range of grape varieties. The Yarra Valley is home to over 80 wineries, each offering a unique wine-tasting experience.

The Yarra Valley is best known for producing exceptional cool-climate wines like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. These wines are renowned for their delicate, complex flavors and ability to reflect the region's unique terroir. The region is warmer than Burgundy but cooler than Bordeaux. The Yarra Valley's cool climate produces wines with higher acidity levels, which gives them a bright, refreshing taste that is perfect for pairing with food.

Another notable wine region in Victoria is the Mornington Peninsula, just south of Melbourne. The Mornington Peninsula is also a cool climate wine region, producing elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The region's maritime climate and sandy soils produce wines with crisp acidity and refined flavors. The region has over 9% of Australia’s Pinot Noir plantings and is the third Pinot Noir wine region.

Moving to central Victoria, we have Heathcote's warm-climate wine region. Heathcote is known for producing rich, full-bodied red wines, particularly Shiraz. The region's red soil and warm climate produce wines with intense fruit flavors and firm tannins.

In the northeast of Victoria, we have the warm climate wine region of Rutherglen. Rutherglen is famous for its fortified wines, particularly Muscat of Rutherglen. Also grown here is the Durif grape, which produces a spicy, intensely flavored, full-bodied wine with intense color and mouth-drying tannins. (a purple teeth wine) The region's hot summers and cool nights produce wines with rich, complex flavors and aromas.

There are many more wine regions in the State of Victoria. As your home base, a trip to Melbourne will give you access to the different wine regions.

I attended a tasting at the Australian Embassy in New York City of wines from the Victoria region. Here are some standouts.

Giaconda 2017 Estate Vineyard Chardonnnay, Beechworth Region - This wine was incredibly nice! Nicely balanced with soft and delicate oak. Balanced acidity and a beautiful finish. It just glided on your palate. A small boutique winery all estate-grown grapes.

Jasper Hill Vineyard 2019 Riseling, Heathcote Region Nice petrol notes, clean and bright acidity.

Yarra Yering Vineyard 2017 Shiraz Underhill, Yarra Valley - Exciting Shiraz, medium-bodied with expressions of dark cherries, plums and a kick of spice.

Yering Station 2019 Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley - Yering Station is Victoria’s first vineyard, planted in 1838. Nice, fresh medium-bodied, showing red fruit with a hint of vanilla, cinnamon bark, and a hint of spice on the finish.

Heading Down-Under with Two Hands

I have to confess, I am not a big Australian wine fan. In fact I rarely drink wine from that region. One of the great opportunities I have is to participate in a program called #winestudio which is on twitter Tuesday evenings at 9pm EST. Thanks to Tina Morey who does a dynamite job organizing the programming for this wine education class I get to participate, learn about wines and wine regions and as a result share it with you. I have to admit, I am changing my tune and really enjoying these wines.

This month my education takes us to Austrialia and Two Hands Wines. In the upcoming weeks I will be sharing with you the Picture Series (today) the Garden Series and I am fortunate enough to have a bottle of Ares from their Flagship Series.

Two Hands Wines was founded in 1999 by Michael Twelftree who began the brand as a negotiant. He sought out quality Shiraz in the different regions in Australia. As time past it has allowed him to build his brand and purchase vineyards of his own.  What stands out to me is that they determine what wine goes into each series by blind tasting.

Eric Guy from Protocol Wine interviewed Michael. Instead of me re-capping the interview, listen to Michael Twelftree himself talk about building his brand from an idea and passion for wine to what it is today. This will lead us into the tasting of his wines.

We began the tasting with the Picture Series which was two Shiraz and a Cabbernet Sauvignon.  The Picture Series is their entry level wines priced at $36. What defines the Picture Series?  This series is inspired by Michael's take on pop-culture. The labels are polaroid pictures (remember them)  by photographer Don Brice and a little photoshop  to have the outcome that puts a smile on your face.

Both the Sexy Beast (Cabernet Sauvignon) and the Angels' Share (Shiraz) come from the McLaren Vale region of South Australia.  The Gnarly Dudes (Shiraz) comes from the Barossa Valley. The difference between the two regions is the Barossa Valley is home to more old vines with the McLaren Vale region being greener.

I split up the pairings and paired the 2014 Gnarly Dudes Shiraz with a rib-eye steak.  This wine aged for 12 months in French oak which 15% was new and the rest was between one and six years old.  The color was very dark with almost purplish. Aromas of blackberry filled my glass with some earthy and meaty notes.  On my palate I felt the wine was a bit light. Perhaps I was expecting something a bit more complex. It was smooth and a bit fruit forward.  Nice blackberry and brambling fruit with hints of cedar.  There is some black pepper that sneaks up on your on the finish and quickly disappears.

The 2014 Angels' Share and 2015 Sexy Beast I served with pulled pork, roasted potatoes and a really good cranberry bean and bacon ragout. I found the Angels' Share to be a bit more complex than the Gnarly Dudes. Aged in oak for 12 months seeing 6% new French oak and the rest aged in oak one to six years old. With a very purple color, Angels' Share had notes of dark berry, mocha and clove. Black cherry and blueberry on the palate with nicely integrated tannins.  Mid palate shows hints of soft licorice and black pepper.  As the wine opens it becomes smoother with chocolate and black pepper on the finish.  The pepper just dances on the tip of your tongue.  Paired with the pork it creates its own flavor and brings out the spice in the wine without it being overly powerful.

The Sexy Beast was pretty sexy and playing hard to get. After spending 14 days soaking on the skins it was aged in 15% new Taransaud French oak and the rest in oak one to five years old.  This wine bold, but sexy. Green notes coming from the glass with a touch of bay leaf, plum, hints of earth and mocha. The palate was full of dark fruit, black currant, hints of clay, tannins that told you they were there.  Paired with the pork it was a battle. However with the beans it was a hot sexy match.  The fat from the bacon in the beans mellowed out the tannins producing a wine that was smooth and showcasing the fruit.

These three wines do have aging potential of  between 5-10 years.