Top 100 red wines of Victoria - Page 6

Discover the top 100 best red wines of Victoria as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the red wines that are popular of Victoria and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Victoria

Victoria is a relatively small but important Australian wine state. Located in the Southeastern corner of the continent, with a generally cool, ocean-influenced Climate, Victorian wine is remarkably diverse, producing all sorts of wines and styles in different climates. In all, the state covers almost 250,000 square kilometres (over 90,000 square miles) of land (almost the same Size as the US state of Texas), well under a quarter the size of its western neighbour, South Australia, and less than a third the size of New South Wales to the North. As such, Victoria's size - and to some extent, the state's viticultural history - can defy generalization.

Climate and soils vary enormously, from the cool, positive Macedon Ranges just north of the state capital, Melbourne, to the alpine valleys of the Australian Alps in the east, to the vast, flat, Dry Murray Darling, shared with New South Wales in the North West Victoria Geographic Indicator (GI). Despite its vast size, North West Victoria has only the Murray Darling and Swan Hill as wine regions within its boundaries. The majority of regions are clustered in the south of the state, with most in an area radiating out from Melbourne for about 200km (130 miles), generally divided into five other GIs. Melbourne itself is located in the Port Phillip GI, based around the eponymous bay.

Discover the grape variety: Cabernet franc

Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of Victoria

red wines from the region of Victoria go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, veal or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of stuffed zucchini, fillet of beef with morels or rabbit with beer and mustard.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Victoria

On the nose in the region of Victoria often reveals types of flavors of cherry, vegetal or red fruit and sometimes also flavors of forest floor, violet or black cherries. In the mouth in the region of Victoria is a powerful with a nice freshness.

News from the vineyard of Victoria

Top Australian winery Giant Steps gets new head winemaker

Australia’s Giant Steps said that Melanie Chester joined the winery as head of winemaking and viticulture on 25 November. It marks a new chapter for one of the leading wineries in Yarra Valley, Victoria. Steve Flamsteed, who joined Giant Steps as chief winemaker in 2003, will step back from the cellar – although he is expected to continue working closely with the team. Working alongside winery founder Phil Sexton, Flamsteed has played a major role in developing Giant Steps’ reputation for excell ...

Plans for first Campbeltown distillery in 180 years revealed

R&B Distillers, operator of the Isle of Raasay Distillery, plans to open The Machrihanish Distillery at Dhurrie Farm, Machrihanish, as a ‘farm-to-bottle’ single malt distillery, along with a visitor centre and whisky club. The company aims to make Machrihanish a sustainable, net-zero distillery that uses no fossil fuels in its production, as well as using biological farming practices to create greater biodiversity on the adjacent farmland. Plans are expected to be finalised during 2022, with ...

Australian winemakers lobby for Prosecco name amid EU talks

A delegation of wine producers from Victoria’s King Valley met with members of the Australian parliament in Canberra to reinforce their campaign to maintain access to the Prosecco name. Their visit follows fresh talks between Australia and the EU on a possible free trade deal, which may impact who gets to use the term Prosecco for sparkling wines in the Australian market. A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Sydney Morning Herald that EU negotiato ...