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.
Sémillon blanc is a grape variety that originated in France (Bordeaux). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. Note that this grape variety can also be used for the elaboration of eaux de vie. This variety of vine is characterized by large bunches of grapes, and grapes of large size. Sémillon Blanc can be found in several vineyards: South-West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Armagnac, Provence & Corsica, Loire Valley, Rhone Valley, Savoie & Bugey, Beaujolais.
white wines from the region of Victoria go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of reblochon tartiflette, tuna sandwich or zucchini and goat cheese quiche.
Last year, there was much mirth on wine Twitter about a particularly excruciating tasting note. You’re right. The wine trade needs to get out more. But still… this one was a beauty. It began well enough – really quite beautiful, in fact. But before long the imaginative descriptions were getting more ornate and strained. It moved from poetic to meaningless before finishing with a reference to Burnt Norton – the first of TS Eliot’s Four Quartets – that put it firmly in Private Eye magazine’s ...
The largest-ever year for entries, an incredible 18,244 wines were judged at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards – with just 163 wines awarded a Platinum medal. ‘Winning a Platinum medal is something really exceptional’ said Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Platinum is like the stratospheric level’ she commented, ‘so it’s really saying to the winemaker: this is a great wine.’ Making up just 0.87% of the total wines tasted at the 2022 c ...
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 ...
