Wine in the Yarra Valley
Mark and I visited the Yarra Valley wine region on Australia's Labor Day weekend (March 12th). This region runs along the Yarra River about 30 miles to the east of Melbourne. It is considered a cool climate wine producing region and specializes in sparkling wines, chardonnays, and pinots. We are excellent judges of quality (mainly due to the pure volume of tastings) and agree that they were all very nice. The Balgownie Estate Winery informed us that 2004 was a particularly excellent year for Victorian (state where the Yarra Valley and Melbourne is located) wines. Keep that in mind when you visit your wine store next time!
Generally speaking, this region begins their harvest in mid-March for Pinots (remember March is fall in Australia) and winds up in May with Cabs. Some wineries we visited had already harvested and others had not begun the process due to their location in the Valley.
Some of the wineries we visited and wines we suggest if you can find them in the U.S.:
Balgownie Estate - Cabernet Sauvignon 1997
Yarra Tracks - This family-run winery named all of their wines after their grandchildren. You will not be able to find any of their wines in the U.S. or probably outside the Valley for that matter. The wines were good, but the highlight was meeting their dog Cocoa, an Australian Kelpie mix.
Yering Station - Oldest winery in the Yarra Valley; 2004 Sangiovese
DeBortoli - Probably the biggest and most commercial winery in the region, and you should be able to find their stuff in the U.S. Try the 2004 Pinot.
My favorite wine of the entire weekend did not come from the Yarra Valley but from a South Australian winery. It was really the only complement to an uninteresting meal we had at a little place called The Berry Cafe. The owner had just moved from Adelaide in South Australia and brought some of his own wines. You must try to find Vulgar Wines - Blewitt Springs - 2005 Shiraz. It's delicious!
During the weekend we pulled ourselves away from wine long enough to bike 40 miles along the Lilydale-Warburton Trail. The trail wound through a few little villages and a few vineyards. Mark and I thought we were good until we continued to be overtaken by three, old people. It had to have been the lack of speed in our rented bikes......
During the weekend we pulled ourselves away from wine long enough to bike 40 miles along the Lilydale-Warburton Trail. The trail wound through a few little villages and a few vineyards. Mark and I thought we were good until we continued to be overtaken by three, old people. It had to have been the lack of speed in our rented bikes......
You can see a few more pictures from the weekend at:
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