Yarra Valley is Victoria's oldest wine region, with a long cool-climate identity that has changed repeatedly with fashion. Altitude and aspect create substantial mesoclimate variation, and a fresher modern approach to Shiraz now sits alongside the region's traditional style. Pinot Noir is generally light to medium-bodied, with plum, strawberry and cherry flavours. Chardonnay commonly shows white peach, melon and fig.
Elsewhere in Victoria
Continue through the region
- Grampians1 producerGrampians is a Western Victoria region with a Mediterranean climate cooled by the Southern Ocean. Shiraz ranges from silky red-cherry and plum styles to concentrated, spicy wines, while Riesling shifts from tropical lime in warmer years to a reserved, toasty character in cooler vintages.
- Heathcote3 producersHeathcote's red soils over calcareous sodic clay are known as Cambrian Greenstones, and south-easterly winds keep summers cooler than nearby Bendigo. Shiraz is deep and velvety with dark cherry-plum fruit, while Cabernet can show blackberry and eucalyptus-mint character.
- Mornington PeninsulaNo producers listed yetEvery Mornington Peninsula vineyard site is within seven kilometres of the ocean. Pinot Noir ranges from delicate cherry-strawberry wines to richer site expressions, while Chardonnay typically shows melon, citrus and fig.
- Murray Darling4 producersMurray Darling spans north-west Victoria and western New South Wales along the Murray River. Its hot, sunny, low-humidity growing season relies on irrigation, and its Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon are soft, sweet-fruited wines for drinking within one to two years.
- Rutherglen4 producersRutherglen is known for sweet, concentrated fortified wines made from Muscat and Muscadelle. Its Durif is ripe and spicy, with balance and ageing potential. Warm days, cool nights and long dry autumns shape the growing season, with spring frost remaining a risk.
Producer profiles
Producers in Yarra Valley
- Bass Phillip WinesSmall biodynamic estate in Gippsland, Victoria, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay across three tiers from densely planted, unirrigated vineyards farmed on Burgundian principles.
- Brown Family Wine GroupAustralian family wine group linking Brown Brothers Prosecco, Innocent Bystander Chardonnay and Pirie traditional method sparkling.
- Giant StepsYarra Valley producer of cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from named vineyard sites.
- Mount Mary VineyardA Yarra Valley estate making estate-grown Bordeaux blends, Pinot noir and Chardonnay from a gentle north-facing slope.
- Punt Road WinesA 58-hectare Napoleone family estate in Coldstream, making bright, fruit-led Yarra Valley wines from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay and more.
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- Yarra Yering VineyardA Yarra Valley estate founded by Dr Bailey Carrodus in 1969, working 29 hectares of dry-grown vines on a northerly slope below the Warramate Hills.
- Yarra Yering VineyardsA dry-grown Gruyere estate in the Yarra Valley, founded in 1969 and known for its numbered blended red wines.