Victoria

Wine-growing region (GI) in the federal state of Victoria in Australia, part of the North East Victoria zone. There are two sub-regions, Myrrhee and Whitlands. The principal town is Whitfield. Italian immigrants established a flourishing tobacco industry here after the Second World War. The Australian farmers Guy Darling and John Levigny were the first to plant vines here in the early 1970Â’s. Their great success led to their Italian neighbours following suit. The Brown Brothers family winery, which was founded soon thereafter, and which processed large quantities of bought-in grapes, played a leading role in the development. The terrain is flat in the north and hilly in the south. The vienyard area totals around 700 hectares. The most important white varieties planted are Chardonnay and Riesling, the leading red varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot, as well as smaller amounts of Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. The climate, which is influenced by the King River, is ideal for the production of sparkling wines, which are made here on a large scale.