Your Mum was right – size doesn’t matter. Victorians know this perhaps better than anybody. Although it accounts for just three percent of Australia’s total land mass, Victoria is home to more wine regions than any other state. Yep, even South Australia. There are six GIs (Geographic Indications), 21 discrete regions, more than 500 Cellar Doors and at least 700 wineries.
And here’s a fun fact you can drop at your next soirée: Victoria is also home to the greatest number of wine regions that start with G! (It’s five. Betcha can’t name them all.)
The state’s extraordinary geographic diversity provides a huge range of terroirs, from the irrigated drought-prone regions of Swan Hill and Murray-Darling on the northern border, to the natural wetlands of Nagambie Lakes; from the teeth-chattering chill of Henty in the far southwest to the golden warmth of Rutherglen in the northeast; from the craggy old Strathbogies to the verdant Alpine Valleys; from the flat, sweeping plains of Gippsland to the dramatic high-country slopes of King Valley – and the funky food and wine gastro-destos clustered around Melbourne in the Port Phillip zone. Talk about your well-endowed.
Gorgeous Yarra Valley, spectacular Mornington Peninsula and sun-kissed Rutherglen are possibly Vic’s best-known regions, but there are many others that fly happily below the radar, including the subject of this week’s spotlight...
Fewer than 50 clicks southeast of Bendigo, in the natural cradle of the Macedon and Mount Camel Ranges, Heathcote is one of Victoria’s most underacknowledged overachievers.
Feted (if not exactly famous) for its plush and inky reds, Heathcote was once considered part of the Bendigo wine region, but although the districts share much in the way of history (classic goldrush to grapevine stories), their local conditions are demonstrably disparate. Heathcote enjoys an average summer temperature that is a couple of degrees cooler than Bendigo’s – thanks mainly to its elevation and the prevailing south to southeast winds that funnel up the valley. But the icing on Heathcote’s topographical cake is its extraordinary free-draining, water-retaining, calcium-rich, 500-million-year-old rust-coloured Cambrian soil. That’s some serious dirt, and it sets the region well apart. In 2002, Heathcote was officially recognised, and awarded GI status.
That ancient, weathered earth produces small and concentrated berries, which ripen ever so slowly through the long, mild summer. It all adds up to perfect phenolic development – and that my friends, means flavour.
Rich, complex and velvety Shiraz dripping with sweetly spiced dark cherry and plum is the undisputed sovereign of this prestigious region, but Heathcote is nothing if not diverse. From Tooborac in the south, to Colbinabbin in the north, the region embraces a wild assortment of altitudes and microclimates, and consequently, produces an array of wine styles. So, look for full flavoured, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Grenache and Merlot. And, although they're not produced in great quantity, Mediterranean varieties such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Tempranillo are delicious proof of Heathcote's diversity. In the cooler southern reaches of the region, Chardonnay is the star turn in an elegant cast of whites, while Riesling, Viognier, Fiano and Marsanne lend crisp, juicy and refined support.
There are more than 70 wineries in the Heathcote region, and at least 40 Cellar Doors to explore (pandemics permitting), including Jasper Hill, Sanguine Estate, Tellurian, M Chapoutier and Mitchelton to name just a few.
(Although Seppelt sources its magnificent Mount Ida Shiraz from one of the oldest vineyards in Heathcote, sadly it doesn't maintain a cellar door presence there.)
But of course, life isn't ALL about wine. Stop laughing, we're serious. In addition to filling your boot with Heathcote's finest, there are restaurants, bakeries, cafes, galleries, parks and sumptuous local produce to be enjoyed.
We've got some serious visiting to do!
PS: Grampians, Goulbourn Valley, Geelong, Gippsland, Glenrowan. How did you go?
Heathcote’s naturally fertile, rust coloured Cambrian earth is over 100 million years old. The result is deeply coloured, seductive wines.