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Chancellors Cellars is proud to present an extensive catalogue of well known and specialized boutique Australian and International wines, champagnes, sparkling wines, reds wines,whites wines,blended wines,beers,spirits and gifts. Unlike Europe, Australia is not governed by the strict wine laws imposed on European wine growers, who are restricted to growing certain grapes in certain areas. The result is that while France for example has thirteen (13) wine growing regions, Australia has in excess of thirty five (35). The freedom to experiment outside these restriction in the Antipodean New World has also led to an entirely fresh crop of tastes and textures of wine. Chancellors Cellars aims is to provide you with a fascinating tour of both International and Australian wines.

Of course, each state and within that state in Australia, or in the case International wines regarding provinces each region has its unique soil, climate and elevation that gives that varietal wine its uniqueness, flavour, texture, and palate.

For many wine connoisseurs who may suggest which wines to choose to drink can be very helpful. These consist of wines for immediate drinking which generally applies to cheaper, budget quaffing wines - Hunter Verdelho, Barossa Semillon, almost all Riesling, Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc, most Chardonnay, Chambourcin, Pinot Noirs, Shiraz, and Cabernets.

No doubt there are wines for the medium term that require storage and cellaring from five (5) to ten (10) years. Generally this applies to medium priced wines such as Margaret River Chardonnay, Clare and Eden Valley Rieslings, Hunter Semillon, South Australia Shiraz, Margaret River Cabernet, Great Western wines from Bests, Central Victoria wines from Tahbilk and Heathcote wineries, Barossa Shiraz, McLaren Vale Shiraz.

Wines for longer term storage that is ten years plus (10 plus). This generally applies to the best examples of each being: Hunter Semillon, Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay, Clare and Eden Rieslings, Tahbilk Marsanne, Rutherglen special and rare sweeties which will last for ever. Yarra Pinot Noir, Yarra Cabernet blends, Bests Great Western range Reds, Coonawarra cabernets especially Wynns and Barossa Shiraz.

Overall the Western Australia wine region consists of the following:- Swan District, Perth Hills Blackwood Valley, Geographe, Great Southern Margaret River and Pemberton, these region represent some of the most revered wines made. critics the world over applaud the cabernets produced in Margaret River.

Recommended Producers – Western Australia Margaret River Region:

Abbey Vale: A strong range throughout.

Arelewood Estate: The wines here are made by Cliff Royale from Voyager Estate, although they plan to double production in the next five years to 5000 cases, when they will consider the possibility of building their own winery.

Brookwood Estate: A new winery that has seen accolades for its Shiraz, but also makes good selection of white wines.

Cape Mentelle: One of the most respected wineries in the region. Have very good wines across the range and an interesting Zinfandel, which suggests that the region may be well suited to the variety.

Clairault: Back in the days when the cellar door here was literally a tin shack, it was one of my favourite wineries. Today it is a multi-million building, which houses a restaurant and spectacular cellar door facility.

Cullen Wines: One of the top six wineries in the region, along with Leeuwin, Cape Mentelle, Moss Wood, Vasse Felix and Pierro. Vanya Cullen is now at the helm and her judicious wine-making skills are apparent throughout the range on offer.

Deep Woods Estate: Award-winning wines, with the Shiraz and Semillon Sauvignon picking up most of them.

Devil's Lair; Now part of the Southcorp Empire and hence Fosters Group, so hopefully the impressive track record they have enjoyed will be preserved.

Evans & Tate: A large operation that enjoys a worldwide reputation.

Fire Gully: Ownership by Michael Peterkin of Pierro gives these wine pedigrees.

Garlands: A winery on the move. The best Cabernet Franc in Australia?

Gralyn Estate: This estate is rapidly gaining a reputation for its red wines, which are made in a style that could attract the attention of Robert Parker.

Green Valley Vineyard: Keith Mugford from Moss Wood makes these wines.

Hamelin Bay: As well as spectacular wines, the views from the estate are some of the finest in the region.

Happs: The story of Happs winery is a very interesting one - the winery was built by Erl Happs himself. Erl is a consummate professional and is at his happiest leafing through various technical manuals to overcome problems; he has always had a very hands-on approach.

Howard Park: A very impressive new winery and tasting facility has been built here, with a most impressive driveway. The wines follow in the grandeur of it all and show well.

Juniper Estate: Going through a period of revitalisation under new ownership. A lot of work has been carried out in the vineyard and major investment has been made in the winery, next door to Vasse Felix.

Killerby: The Killerby family were some of the first settlers in the region and their experience shows in their stunning Shiraz wines.

Leeuwin Estate: Quite simply the finest producer of Chardonnay in Australia, with its Art Series range of wines. The other range on offer is equally impressive.

Lenton Brae: A family-run vineyard. The Sauvignon Semillon and Chardonnay are the stars of the show.

Moss Brothers: Great pedigree, with the owners hailing from Moss Wood.

Moss Wood: Exemplary wines and very sought after Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pierro: Along with Giaconda and Leeuwin Estate, a producer of one of the top

Chardonnay. Although it doesn't have the longevity of the Leeuwin Chardonnay it is excellent.

Redgate: One of the most southern vineyards in Western Australia, being less than two miles from the Indian Ocean. Bill Ullinger has undergone some difficult times since setting up the winery in the late 1970s, not least because of the bank manager. A war veteran, Bill had the inner to ice the project through, however, and the winery has won over 100 medals in the seven years.

Sandalford: Sandalford is the oldest family-owned winery in Western Australia, having been in 1840. In fact it was on Land Title No 2 in the State - although this is near the Swan River region, just north of Perth. The family also own a thirty-year-old vineyard in Willyabrup region of Margaret River, from which the fruit is transported to the winery Swan River.

Saracen Estate: Founded in 1998, this winery goes from strength to strength.

Suckfizzle: Although the name is funny, along with one of their labels Stella Bella, the wines are actually very good.

Vasse Felix: Another top winery. The Heytesbury range in particular should be singled out for the sheer quality on offer. Cabernet at its best.

Willespie: Willespie has historically done very well in the Margaret River show, having won the award for the top wine in 1983. Unfortunately the shows stopped after this, and did not recommence until 2002. The owners who made this wine, Kevin and Marian Squance, are still here, although they are now helped by various staff. They initially planted the vineyard in 1976, and in 1982 were one of the first to plant Verdelho, which is made as a dry table wine and marketed as a flagship wine.
Xanadu: A winery that has grown enormously over the past 10 years. An impressive cellar door facility is now in operation, where you can taste most of the ran.
When considering other Western Australian producers especially those from the Great Southern Region also offer exceptional value and quality wines these are:

Alkoomi: Look out for the Jarrah and Black Butt wines.

Castle Rock Estate: Robert Diletti, the winemaker here, can remember planting his first vines as a six year old in 1983. He went on to successfully complete a winemaking degree at Charles Sturt. A couple of years spent working elsewhere has given him the experience needed to come and run the family vineyard.

Chatsfield: A good range, including Shiraz and Cabernet Franc.

Ferngrove: A new winery in 2000 will help Murray Burton achieve his goal of making wines, of indisputable quality.

Frankland Estate: is a family-owned and operated winery, located in the Frankland River region, the Olmo’s Reward is well worth seeking out.

Galafey: Quite large wines for the area.

Gilberts: Magnificent wines that are made at Plantagenet under contract.

Goundrey: An impressive line up across the range.

Merrebee Estate: If you are lucky you can sometimes purchase mature wines from this estate, which continues to develop.

Plantagenet: This winery consistently makes wines to a very high standard. The Pinot Noir in good years can be outstanding, as is the Shiraz in most vintages.

Trevelen Farm: A multi agricultural business that makes fine wines of exceptional value.

West Cape Howe Wines: Brenden Smith runs this winery located in the Denmark area, which is considered to be the jewel in the crown of the region. The wines have good structure and balance, coming from vines grown on lateritic gravel loams over clay, which are common for much of the region.

Zarephath Wines: The name means refinement, these wines are made by monastic community of the Christ Circle Inc and the labels convey a spiritual message. The vineyard is the most eastly in the region.

Great South Australian Regions and Wineries:

Of course South Australia is the darling region of the Australian wine scene. No other state has been glorified by the American wine critic Robert Parker as much, with dozens of scores in the nineties and splattering of the 100's. It would seem that South Australia has it all. For every grape variety commonly grown in Australia, it has a region that can grow it supremely well. In Barossa there are the Shiraz and Semillon, Riesling in Clare, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc in the Adelaide Hills, Chardonnay and Grenache in McLaren vale, and Cabernet Sauvignon in Coonawarra. In South Australia, many regions can grow several varieties equally well. It is this ability to work with the environment that has enabled it to become the premier state for wine and wine tourism in the country. The wine regions of South Australia are, Clare Valley, Barossa Valley, Riverland, Eden valley, Adelaide Hills, Langhorne creek, Padthway, Wrattonbully, Coonawarra, Mount Benson, Robe, Kangaroo Island, McLaren and Port Lincoln.

Barossa Valley Region:

The Barossa is without question the engine room of the Australian wine industry. No other region has so many great and historic names located within it. Virtually all the giants of the industry such as Penfolds,Rosemount,and Lindermans are based here, along with Orlando, makers of Jacobs Creek, and BRL Hardy's. It is also the land of the smaller independent winery, without whom the region would be nowhere near as interesting. It is these idiosyncratic wines, which are crafted from vines that have tended by four or five generations of grape growing families, that provide the real interest. They offer so much more than the sometimes one dimensional wines that the bigger companies have to make for commercial reasons. It is perhaps in the last 20 years that the region has come to be regarded as special on the world stage. Helped along by Penfolds Grange arguably the finest red wines in Australia and influential American wine writer Robert Parker, names such as Torbreck, Greenock Creek, Three Rivers, Langmeil, Charles Melton, and Veritas have all received international acclaim. In addition one of the world's great wines is also made here - Henschke's Hill of Grace.

The Barossa is mainly known for its superb Shiraz and Riesling based wines, it has now been established that the Merlot also grows well in the Barossa region as demonstrated by the Irvine Estate.

Some recommended producers of the Barossa Valley Region in South Australia which are highly acclaimed are, - Bethany, Charles Cimicky, Charles Melton, Dutschke Wines, Elderton, Glaetzer, Grant Burge, Greenock Creek,Haan Wines, Heritage Wines, Irvine, Jenke Wines, Langmeil Winery, Orlando, Penfolds,Peter Lehmann, Richmond Grove, Rockford, St Hallett, Three Rivers, Torbreck, Trevor Jones, Turkey Flat, Veritas, Wolf Blass, Yaldara, and Yalumba.

McLaren Vale Region:

Admirers of big Australian Shiraz the world over will always argue over which is the better region for it. McLaren Vale, or the Barossa Valley two hours to the north and beyond Adelaide. Certainly in the past, most of the world's wine press was focused on the Barossa of the two, as the wines are just so rich, large and bold. But that said the McLaren Vale region also produces grape varieties such as the Shiraz, Cabernet, Grenache,Chardonnay, and Viognier.

Mc Laren Vale Shiraz- Full bodied and rich with a palate full of blackcurrant,plums and liquorice flavours. It can be very velvety. They take on more chocolate and game like profile as they age. They will usually have seen oak maturation, typically American oak, which can contribute a perceived sweetness to the wine.

McLaren Vale Cabernet- Again quite large wines with classic blackcurrant and black fruit flavours. Dark chocolate is often found, as are black olives, mint, cedar, vanilla, and leather. These can all show at one time or another on its journey into maturity.

McLaren Vale Grenache - Some of the finest examples of Grenache in Australia come from the McLaren Vale region. Full of earthiness, blackcurrants, spice, and plum. Can be quite soft and approachable when young, but is usually a big wine. Very old vines contribute to the complexity of the wines.

McLaren Vale Chardonnay- Typically a large wine that is full flavoured and mineraly, with notes of peaches, butter and occasionally ripe melon.

McLaren Vale Viognier - The region houses more Viognier than any other region in the Southern Hemisphere The wines are fruit driven with refreshing acidity.

Overall the the following wine producers from the McLaren Vale region are highly respected and acclaimed in there own right these are: d'Arenberg, Arrakoon,Chapel Hill, Clarendon Hills, Coriole, Dennis, Dowie Doole, Edwards and Chaffey, Fox Creek, Gemtree, Geoff Merrill, Haselgrove, Hillstowe, Hugh Hamilton, Hugo, Ingoldby, Kangarilla Road, Kay Brothers, Maglieri, Maxwell, Noon, Penny Hill, Perrini Estate, Pertaringa, Pirramimma, Scarpantoni,Shottesbrooke,Simon Hackett Wines, Tatachilla Winery, Tyrrell's,Wirra Wirra, and Woodstock.

Clare Valley Region:

The Clare Valley, situated one hour away from the Barossa to the north-west, is arguably the finest region in Australia for Riesling and one of the best for Shiraz. The Clare Valley is sheer beauty, with rolling green hills and small forgotten about villages, that seem to be frozen within their own time frame. The region has an ideal climate for growing of grapes and for tourism, as it can reach 36C degrees during the day, but cools to 16C degrees by night.

The Clare Valley region grape varieties consist of Reilsing, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Clare Valley Riesling -These range from mineral and stony examples to lime, grapefruit, lemon and floral, with good weight. Has a very good ability to age if cellared correctly. It is usually grown specially on limestone, which gives over 90% of its water to the vine, effectively acting as a reservoir.

Clare Valley Shiraz- Almost always tasting of ripe fruit, as is most evident in the wines from Jim Barry, but are very rarely unbalanced. Black pepper can be found easily in good years, as can black fruits, pepper, spice and mint.

Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon- This can be tight and tannic in some years but usually rather large wines that can take many years to open up fully. Usually display capsicum, blackcurrant, mint and licorice. Like Shiraz, the 'jam" factory is eliminated by the cool nights in the region.

The key producers for the Clare Valley region consist of Annie's Lane, Claymore wines, clos Clare, Crabtree Watervale, Grosset, Jeanneret Wines, Jim Barry, Kilikanoon, Knappstein Wines, Leasingham Wines, Macaw Creek, Mitchell Winery, Mount Horrocks, Old Station, O'Leary Walker Wines, Paulett, Petaluma, Sevenhill Cellars, Skillogalee Wines, Tim Adams, Tim Gramp, Wendouree.

Coonawarra Region:

Coonawarra exists for one purpose only- to make some of the finest red wines in Australia. Located in-between Melbourne and Adelaide with a 4.5 hour drive to either major city, it is not somewhere that you make a day trip too. What brings wine lover to Coonawarra is a strip of soil 18km long and between 200metres and 1.5km wide, known as terra rosa or red earth.

Underneath this remarkable soil lies constant table of pure water, which is ideal for the vines to prosper and is also essential as no natural rivers run through the region. This clay soil can be traced back almost one million years, when it was submerged beneath the ocean. The ocean froze during the Ice Age, at a time when the land was gaining an additional altitude of one centimeter per century. Having such a vibrant coloured soil might indicate that this region has a very warm in climate, as it is easy to make comparisons with the red centre of Australia. In fact this is a cool region, with a very similar climate to Bordeaux. The daily mean temperature in Coonawarra is 16.5C Degrees, compared to 16.9CDegrees in Bordeaux, and perhaps this is why Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon excel here. The wines, though, are totally different to the those of Bordeaux and the two should not be compared like for like.

Whilst Coonawarra produces wines of exceptional finesse and elegance, like those you would expect to find in Bordeaux, the Australian wines will always be fuller and more upfront, with ripe flavours, as the growing period, although reaching the same mean temperatures, is longer in Coonawarra.

The Coonawarra region grape varieties consist of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, and Riesling.

Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon- It is here that the Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme and is the most noble variety. The wines exhibit immense varietal character showing mint, blackcurrant,capsicum,plum and prunes when young, developing into earthy, farmyard,chocolate and tobacco flavours when mature.

Coonawarra Shiraz- Coonawarra Shiraz is perhaps the most elegant of South Australia's regions. It can be full bodied from the top estates and show blackcurrant, cherry, spice and liquorice whilst young, developing into earthy, farmyard and meaty flavours when mature.

Coonawarra Chardonnay - Far less full than other regions and with a touch of elegance. Nuts, citrus, butter, vanilla and melon all appear in the flavour spectrum.

Coonawarra Riesling - Although not the most widely grown in the Coonawarra it can produce wines that are a little more immediate than those from the Clare. Typical flavours include lime, mineral and some tropical fruit.

Coonawarra' key producers are Balnaves, Bowen, Brands, Hollick, Katnook,Majella, Leconfield, Penley Estate, Parker Estate, Pepper Tree, Rymill, S Kidman, St Marys, Wynns, and Zema.

Adelaide Hills Region:

Adelaide Hills is the one wine region in Australia that you can get totally lost in. The Hills stretch for more than 60 miles north to south, and 22 east to west, which takes in the higher sections of the Mount Lofty Ranges that rise to over 400 meters. The Hills are in an ideal position, being flanked by the Barossa and Eden Valley to the north and Mc Laren Vale to the south. This is one region where micro- climates play a significant role in viticulture. Peter Leske of Nepenthe points out that some say there are 150 climates in Burgundy, but if this is so there are 250 in the Adelaide Hills. The climate is broadly Mediterranean, with dry summers and winter dominated by rainfall, although this occur mainly in the spring and not autumn.

Adelaide Hill's key and highly respected wine producers for the region are Aldgate Ridge, Annvers Wines, Ashton,Barratt, Bridgewater Mill, Chain Of Ponds, Galah, Geoff Weaver, Glenara, Hillstowe, Knappstein Lenswood Vineyards, Leland Estate, Maximilian's Vineyard, Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard, Nepenthe Vineyards, Paracombe Wines, Petaluma, Ravenswood Lane, Shaw and Smith.

Other Southern Australian Regions:

Travelling in a northerly direction from Coonawarra towards Adelaide, you will find the Mount Benson region to the west about one hour away. In the future we may find that it offers Heathcote significant competition as the new "fashionable" region. It is located between the fishing ports of Kingston and Robe, which are famous for their lobsters. With its close proximity to the Great Southern Ocean, vineyards here benefit from a long cool ripening season, which results in picking around two weeks later than in Coonawarra. The ocean does bring its problems through - strong winds have necessitated the use of trees for wind breaks and shade cloth on edge barriers every five or so rows. The region promotes itself as "Terra Rossa" by the Sea, since it has terra rossa soils over limestone. Water is not a problem here, due to an abundance of high quality underground streams close to the surface to draw from. Mount Benson is one of the newer regions, having only first been planted in 1989, mainly with Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot. As a new region they are still experimenting with various varieties and so far Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier show promise. The defining exclusive to Mount Benson on the viticultural map was when M.Chapoutier, the esteemed Rhone maestro decided to locate his Australian operation here in 1978.

The Southern Australian region wine producers consist of Cape Jaffa, Chapoutier's Tyrrells, Leconfield, Ralph Flower, Wattonbully, Padthaway, Koppamurra Wines,Chain of Pond, Bremerton, Lake Breeze, Temple Bruer, Bleasdale Vineyards, Frank Potts and Langhorne.

Great Victorian Vineyards:

Victoria is Australia's largest wine producing state and perhaps the most diverse, with many pockets of viticulture located across it. The most celebrated region here is the Yarra Valley, with its sublime Pinot Noirs, Cabernets and Chardonnay's. It is a maze of vineyards and sub regions, producing wines with class and elegance. One of the most hotly tipped regions is also located in Victoria, namely the Heathcote region has all the elements needed to become a world class with soils, climate and know how from people like Ron Laughton at Jasper Hill already in place. This is where Australia's greatest Shiraz will come from in the future.

A selection of the finest sweet wines in the world are made here in Rutherglen. They are totally unique and are not emulated anywhere else on the planet. These really are wines that Australia can la claim to having produced the finest examples of. There are many small regions that have developed over the past two decades that show real promise for the future. The majority of these are cool climate and, as such, produce the kind of wines of elegance and finesse that can be difficult to find in South Australia. One of I is fastest growing of these is the Mornington Peninsula, with its flavoursome Pinot Noir and Chardonnays that are gaining ground with each vintage.

The wine regions of Victoria are, Yarra Valley, Heathcote, Mornington Peninsula, Pyreness, Swan Hill, Bendigo, Grampians, Geelong,Sunbury,Beechworth,Gippsland,Rutherglen,and Goulburn Valley and Macedon.

Yarra Valley Region: The Yarra Valley, located a short drive east of Melbourne, is perhaps the most akin to a traditional European wine region. It is here that the guardians of the Australian wine industry are based. In an industry filled with young guns who have graduated from Roseworthy and are moulded into the high-alcohol, high-extraction, large-wines mentality (which there is nothing wrong with), it is refreshing to find the old guard making some of the most elegant and refined wines in Australia. It can be a daunting moment when arriving at wineries like Yarra Yering and Yeringberg. You simply do not know what to expect from these legendary wine makers, who in any other life may well have been professors of history. Their knowledge of the valley and the history of traditional methods is unsurpassed. Here the wines are crafted like no other. Like the Hunter Valley and Margaret River, it is quite possible that the future will be governed by sales gained through tourism, since the valley is in close proximity to Melbourne. One of the most important factors of the Yarra is its mild climate, which is ideal for vines as it allows the sugars and acids to develop at a steady pace and more evenly. This results in good-quality fruit, which gives the wines from this region their trademark elegance. There are two main types of soil in the region, a grey silty duplex, which is derived from Silurian mudstone and can cause drainage problems, and red volcanic soils, which are mainly found in Seville and Hoddles Creek. Problems can occur with Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew, but these are overcome by careful spraying and intelligent canopy management. Hand-picking Chardonnay grapes at Hoddles Creek, Yarra Valley, Victoria.their wines, as they are world-class across the range - although they can be difficult to understand initially.Yeringberg is the home of a fascinating electricity free-museum, displaying artifacts of wine-making from a bygone age.

Victoria's key and highly respected wine producers within the Yarra Valley region are- Ainsworth Estate, Arthurs Creek, Coldstream Hills, De Bortoli, Diamond Valley, Domaine Chandon, Dominique Portet, Elmswood Estate, Evelyn County Estate,Fergusson, Five Oaks, Gembrook Hill, Kellybrook, Lillydale Vineyards,Long Gully, Lovegrove Vineyard, Metier Wines,Mount Mary, Oakridge, Ridgeback, St Huberts, Seville Estate, Strathewen Hills, Tarrawarra Estate,Yarra Ridge, Yarra Yering, Yeringberg, and Yering Station.

Heathcote Region: Could Heathcote, a few kilometres south of Bendigo to the west and the Goulburn Valley to the east, become regarded as one of the finest wine regions in Australia for Shiraz? Yes and no. Yes for the independent wineries, but maybe not for the big players, who have purchased colossal amounts of land and created "instant vineyards" . A substantial amount of the grapes grown here are selected for everyday commercial wines. Do not let this make you think less highly of the region - it has the potential (and succeeds) to make some of Australia's finest Shiraz wines due to the ideal terroir, of which the most important element is the ancient Cambrian soils. These stretch, sometimes in isolated patches, out some 40 kms in a southerly direction from the centre of the village along the Great Dividing Range. This special soil, unique to Victoria and derived from Cambrian rock 500 million years ago, can be over three metres deep yet only a few hundred metres wide at its maximum and is a friable red-brown ferruginous gravely loam, on well-drained slopes.

Victoria's key and highly respected wine producers within the Heathcote region are - Barnadown Run, Heathcote Winery, Huntleigh Vineyards, Jasper Hill, McIvor Creek, Mount Ida, Paul Osicka, Red Edge,Wild Duck Creek.

Goulburn Valley & Macedon Region: The Goulburn Valley is home to the officially-documented oldest Shiraz vines still in existence in Australia, which were planted in 1860. They belong to Alister Purbrick of Chateau Tahbilk, one of the most respected winemakers and vineyards in the country. As one would expect, Tahbilk (the Chateau has now been dropped) is steeped in history, so much so that Alister has written a book about it. The winery and surrounding buildings put paid to the notion of New World Wine - a phrase that I believe was first penned by the esteemed English author Hugh Johnson. The property contains a magnificent museum of wine-making on the site, from 1860 onward - which is prior to the America Civil War and at a time when Lincoln had not yet been made president. Here you will find original maps, bottles and artifacts that have been carefully stored over the decades for our benefit today. Perhaps this is why, along with the sheer quality of the wines, that Tahbilk receives a phenomenal 80,000 visitors each year to the cellar door, which is located in the original building. The Valley itself is located in the picturesque Nagambie Lakes area, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Now it is classified as a unique sub-region of Goulburn, due to its water mass - it is one of only six wine regions in the world where the meso-climate is influenced by a body of inland water. It also has a fairly unique soil type- a red sandy loam with a high ferric-oxide content.

Tahbilk is fortunate to have some 3000 acres of the richest river flats in the area, with 11kms of river frontage. The Purbrick's association with the vineyard can be traced back to 1875, when James Escort Purbrick was employed to excavate and construct a new cellar. The cellar is still in full use today and is quite magnificent in its splendour. Old vats and cubby holes filled with old, unlabelled wines stored as museum pieces dominate the various tunnels and rooms, which you can actually see from a viewing platform in the museum. Today however, further work has been carried out and the tunnel opened up to the winery to aid fork lift truck access to these perfect storage conditions. The winery utilises up-to-date technology with traditional wine-making techniques to make its array of wines. The whites are the best of the region and include Australian finest example of Marsanne, which can be cellared with confidence for at least ten years to allow it to really develop its complexities. The vines from which it is made are believed to be the oldest in the world, originally being planted in 1927 from cuttings taken from a Yarra Valley vineyard planted in the 1860s. As expected with such old Shiraz vines, a wine is hand-crafted from them. 1860 Vines Shiraz is a living piece of history, being made from engrafted, pre-Phylloxera vines that have been hand-picked and fermented in century-old open oak vats. If unable to find this rare treasure, then try to locate the reserve range of wines, which is made from the best casks of the vintage. Colin Preece was the founding winemaker at Mitchelton for the first crush 1973, from vineyards planted in 1969. Preece only completed one vintage here before retirement,and and Don Lewis took over in 1974.The site had taken Preece two years to locate behalf of Ross Shelmerdine, a Melbourne entrepreneur, who had asked him to find the best place in South East Australia for grape growing. The Estate quickly became established, winning its first medal in 1978 for a Riesling, and going on to win both the Jimmy Watson Trophy in 1991 and the title Vineyard of the Year. Today the winery produces a multitude wines that use traditional Rhone varietals, along with Don Lewis’s famed Riesling and commercial necessities of Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot.

Goulburn Valley and Macedon region wine producers consist of:

Dalfarras: A winery to watch. This is as where he has the freedom to express himself by making wines in a different style to that of Tahbilk:. So far they have proved a great success

David Traegar: You enter David Traegar cellars in Nagambie. David used to be a winemaker at Mitchelton,which shows in the quality of his wines.

Kirwan’s Bridge Wines: Unfortunately panoramic views of the lakes and is loco wooded structure that time has forgotton

Longleat Good Wines: especially the Shiraz

Mitchelton:A moderately large estate that is a Rhone specialist. An excellent Riesling is also made.

Monichino Wines: A pudding-wine sp wines to a good standard.
Tahbilk: Benchmark wines from the area across the board.
Bendigo Wine Region:

Shiraz is the grape of Bendigo region, as it has the same temperature range as Barossa, Clare and Goulburn, which suits this variety.

Bendigo, in contrast to Heathcote, is a sprawling metropolis with wonderful architecture and shops to suit every need. Although not as an important grape growing region as Heathcote, it is nevertheless significant with approximately the same amount of wineries and some seriously good wine being made here. The grape of the area is Shiraz, which is no surprise given that the region has Mister Purbrick from Tahbilk. Peter then took a mean January temperature of 21-22.9°C - over fully and produced a Shiraz, Cabernet the same as the Barossa, Clare and Goulburn and Riesling each year from estate-grown fruit. Valleys. One of the nicest aspects of the region is the friendliness of the wineries, which are almost all family owned with no big brand mentality. Here you are likely to meet the winemaker with his sleeves rolled up working, hard on the current vintage. Like Heathcote, the soils are old, deep and mineralised, especially with iron, although not of Cambrian origin. Blanche Barkly Wines report that the soil on their Kingower vineyard extends to the depth of some 20 feet , which should mean that in the relatively hot summer the regions experiences, the roots will have to dig deep to find water and nutrients, adding to the complexity of the wines.

Like Heathcote, this was originally gold pining country although the region was planted extensively with vineyards. Unfortunately most were scrubbed up in the late 1800s due to the arrival of Phylloxera. The government of the day, presumably in a state of panic, decided that all vineyards should be mooted and the soil treated to prevent the teat from reaching the state's most prized region, Rutherglen. Unfortunately this did not work and the pest reached Rutherglen anyway.It was not until almost 1970 that another vine was planted commercially here. Stuart Anderson, a pharmacist, who had presumably seen the vineyards being planted by Doctors in the Yarra Valley just outside of Melbourne, decided to embark on Balgownie Estate, a winery that was to make wines which are now considered a benchmark for the region. One of the highlights is to taste a 1989 Viognier from the Estate that, although past its prime, was still of fruit and had developed a complex array of secondary flavours. The winery is currently expanding, with the old barrel store now a sophisticated cellar door offering refreshments and one of the finest cheese platters in Australia.Shortly after Balgownie Estate was established, Water Wheel and Chateau Leamon followed suit and planted their own vineyards. In Chateau Leamon's case, a small farm was purchased, which was then transformed. They released their first wine to rapturous applause in 1977 - just three years after the acquisition of the property. The wine was a Cabernet Sauvignon and it won the Small Wine Makers award at the national wine show in Canberra. Today the winery is run by Ian Leamon, after stints working for Bests, Veuve Cliquot and Rosemount, amongst others.

Recommended Producers:

Balgownie Estate: Now complete with a homestead located alongside the vineyards, this. winery continues to make outstanding wine at a modest price.

Blackjack Vineyards: Shiraz specialists.

Blanche Barkly: Named after a the world's largest gold nugget at the time, found in 1857 underneath what is now the vineyard. The property was owned by Sir Henry, then governor of Victoria, and his daughter was called Blanche. The wines are moderately low in alcohol and made by maceration-style fermentation with the intention that they will age gracefully for 20 years.

Chateau Dore: An historic winery that dates back to the mid 1860s. Unfortunately they have not expanded the business and production remains at a modest level.

Munari Wines: Adrian Munari has made an impact over the past ten years with his wines that are produced with his wife Deborah. Multi medal award winners.

Rutherglen Wine Region:

This, out of all of Australia's wine producing areas, is perhaps the most special. It creates a totally unique style of wine, which is perhaps the most special.It creates a totally unique style of wine which is not emulated successfully anywhere else in the world. This is the land of the sticky". Even the most basic of example are an absolute pleasure to drink and the wines at the top end are often described as liquid gold.Rutherglen is situated at the northern end of Victoria, not too distant from the King Valley, Beechworth and the Goulburn Valley.The town itself, as with most country places in Australia, is very laid back with no real sense of urgency.A ten minute walk would enable you to cover the town centre well, without stopping off at any of the attractions, It is the outskirts, however, that we are most interested in – the outlying vineyards that produce grapes like no others anywhere. Whilst both red and white varieties are planted, it is the Muscat and Tokay that are the essence and backbone of this district. state's leading viticultural areas.

Rutherglen was first planted in the early 1850’s coinciding with the gold rush that was sweeping across this part of Australia at the time. The climate here is distinctly Continental, being so far inland and protected by the Australian Alps that surround the region.Wineries established in the region are Chambers, Morris, Bob Burns and All Saints,

Recommended Producers of the Rutherglen Region:

All Saints Estate One of the prettiest cellar doors in the country, being housed in an old red brick fortress. The whole range is good, including the table wines. An excellent restaurant is also located here.

Andersons Howard Anderson owns and operates the Anderson winery, which focuses on table and sparkling wines as opposed to the stickies - which he believes never achieve the money they are worth.

Auldstone I wrote to Michael Reid, the owner of Auldstone with some questions relating directly to this winery - the reply I received was as follows:- "I find all your questions too daunting. I'm the winemaker, you're the journalist. You do your job and I'll do mine. Either that or you come and do my job whilst I do your research for you". I always thought that speaking to the owner was research?

Bullers Calliope Amongst the best for fortified wines.

Campbells As well as excellent fortifieds, the red table wines are also some of the finest of the region. The Bobbie Burns Shiraz is full and flavoursome and Barkly Durif a good alternative to Shiraz and Cabernet.

Chambers Rosewood Simply the finest sweet wines in the world. The base wine for the Rare Tokay comes from the 1890 vintage.

Cofield There is a whole mixture of varietals grown here, from Cabernet Franc to Gamay to Chenin Blanc. On the whole they do a good job on wines for everyday consumption.

Morris Having tasted eight-year-old Shiraz and Cabernet whilst visiting, You can confidential and comfortably cellar the top reds from this region for ten years plus. The fortified whites are exceptional.

Pfeiffer The table wines are perhaps of most interest here (and a lovely cellar door). The white wines can age well, as was proved by a 13-year-old Chardonnay sampled, along with an eclectic range of reds, including Merlot, Pinot Noir and Gamay.

St Leonards In the same stable as All Saints, although the wines here tend to be a bit on the lighter side.

Stanton & Killeen Another top producer of fortified Muscat and Tokay. Also produce a good range of table wines, which are smooth and some of the finest in the region.

Warrabilla A lovely Marsanne and a good range of reds including a gripping Durif.

Another winery that receives lavish praise from the Press is R.L. Buller & Son, for its .vines from their Calliope vineyard. Although They also source fruit from other regions in Victoria, it is from this vineyard in Rutherglen that the finest wines hail. The vineyard was first planted in the 1920s by the present owner's grandfather, Reginald, and is non-irrigated so only musters up an average of one tonne per acre. This is minuscule, but corn-young vineyard that is primarily for the production of a nice everyday table wine, it may yield ten tonnes to the acre. Therefore the winemaker in this vineyard is getting ten times the fruit from the same size vineyard, yet the winemaker getting only one tonne can very rarely sell his wine for ten times the price.

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