Victoria
Victoria's wine industry owes its beginnings to the discovery of gold in the 1850s, which led to an influx of settlers from around the world and particularly from Europe. As in the Sierra foothills region of California, these settlers brought vines and know-how from home, establishing a wine industry in the state. Unfortunately, the spread of phylloxera in the late 19th century dealt a blow to the region and the wine industry was unable to recover until the 1960s. Victoria is a relatively small, but culturally important Australian state. It is located in the southeastern corner of the continent with a cool, ocean-influenced climate. It has the greatest diversity of regional climates, from the very cold Macedonian mountain ranges to the very warm regions stretching along the Murray River from the northeast to the northwest of the state. Australia's famous Barossa Shiraz is found here, but Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are among the state's most important grape varieties, producing both dry and sparkling wines.
The sub-region: the Grampians
It is a very touristy area of low mountains, formerly known as mining territory, and located approximately halfway between Coonawarra and Melbourne in regional Victoria. Its vineyard extends between an eponymous natural park and a chain of small mountains. It is known for its often peppered (white pepper) Shiraz which are among the most elegant in Australia. It also produces very good Rieslings and Pinot Gris. Today there are a good dozen estates and the grape varieties cover several hundred hectares. The Grampians region is extremely hilly with many rocky slopes to the east and less steep slopes to the west. The climate is halfway between an oceanic and Mediterranean climate. Average temperatures vary between 30°C and 14°C in summer and 4° to 15°C in winter.
