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Just outside Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is one of Australia's oldest wine regions, first planted with vines in the 1830s before a long hiatus and later revival in the 20th century. Its cool climate makes it particularly well suited to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and today the valley is home to more than 80 wineries and cellar doors set among rolling, vine-covered hills.
Visitor guide
The Yarra Valley is a cool-climate wine region and rural area east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Yarra River. It is best known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wine, and combines cellar doors with a wildlife sanctuary, forested ranges and heritage townships.
The Yarra River rises in the Yarra Ranges about 240 km east of the Melbourne central business district and flows west from forested mountains to gentler, fertile plains of vineyards and farmland. Wikipedia's wine region article gives boundaries running from Whittlesea in the west to Kinglake in the north, Mount Gregory in the east and Gembrook in the south, with typical rainfall of 750 to 950 millimetres.
It identifies two subregions. The Valley Floor, around Lilydale, Yarra Glen and Healesville, is mostly 50 to 80 metres above sea level and warmer, with grey soils and some granite and limestone. The Upper Yarra, around Seville, Warburton and Hoddles Creek, rises to about 400 metres with younger red soils and cooler conditions, and is known for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Wikipedia records that the region's first vines were planted at Yering Station in 1838 by the Ryrie brothers, making it Victoria's first planted wine region. Swiss-born Paul de Castella took over Yering Station in 1850, and in 1863 Hubert de Castella founded St Huberts while Frederic Guillaume de Pury founded Yeringberg. Yering Station won a grand prix at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, which Wikipedia describes as unique among southern hemisphere wineries at that event.
The industry then declined because of economic problems, phylloxera and changing tastes, and by 1937 much of the land had been converted to dairy farming. The revival began in the 1960s, with Wantirna Estate founded in 1963, Yarra Yering planted by Dr Bailey Carrodus in 1969 and Coldstream Hills founded by James Halliday in 1985. In 1986 the Champagne house Moet and Chandon opened Domaine Chandon as its local base for sparkling wine.
Wikipedia states there is no single definitive Yarra Valley style. Chardonnay has trended towards leaner, more acid-driven wines closer to Burgundy, with less new oak, and Pinot Noir and sparkling wine are widely planted. Other varieties listed include Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Gris and Merlot. The region has around 80 or more wineries and cellar doors, with larger counts of about 160 in one infobox, so figures vary by source and definition.
Healesville Sanctuary is a conservation-focused wildlife park that shows native Australian animals, and the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail is about 40 km long. Healesville is known for its arts scene and cafes, Yarra Glen for its heritage buildings and antique shops, and Warburton as a gateway to Yarra Ranges National Park. The Yarra Valley has also been a filming location for television, including The Saddle Club.
Because tastings are a major part of the day, a private driver and guide lets a group visit cellar doors in comfort and choose a pace to suit them. Seasons shape the scenery, from green spring growth to autumn colour on the vines.
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