The Wines of Yarra Valley

Take an hour of scenic drive northeast of Melbourne to the wine region of Yarra Valley that has been producing one of the world’s best wines for over 170 years. The region’s cool and temperate climate combined with rich soil composition made Yarra Valley an ideal place to grow many different varieties of grape vines.
 
Production of classic wine varieties had been the focus of the region.
 
A complex blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon ranges from medium-bodied to full-bodied wine. It has a silky tannin with a fruity and peppery flavour and a distinct floral aroma. Yarra Valley’s Cabernet Sauvignon is known for its noticeably balanced tannin, fruitiness, and acidity.
 
A Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits pronounced fruity flavour of black cherries and plum, and vegetal flavour of spicy bell pepper and black pepper. Depending on the age, you may notice the development of mint, eucalyptus, cedar, and tobacco.
 
With its cool climate, Yarra Valley grows Chardonnay, a green-skinned grape variety used to produce white wine and the main ingredient for sparkling wines.
 
The light to medium-bodied white wine displays a wide range of fruity flavour from melon and white peach to fig and passionfruit, from lemon and apple to pear and pineapple. Chardonnay also expresses oak flavour and herbal and floral fragrance such as apple blossom, lemon zest, celery leaf, beeswax, almond, jasmine, and vanilla bean.
 
Originated in France’s Burgundy region, Pinot Noir sticks as Yarra Valley’s premier wine variety. This red wine variety has medium-low tannin with medium-high acidity and can be aged from two to eighteen years.
 
Pinot Noir exhibits a blend of fruit vegetal flavours such as plum, strawberry, black cherry, red berry, raspberry, liquorice, clove, vanilla, cola, tobacco, and mushroom. It also expresses strong floral, wet leaves aroma and herb fragrant. And of course, that woody aroma of oak from oak barrels.
 
On the rise in the region, Yarra Valley’s Shiraz or Syrah is mixed with Viognier resulting in a unique blend, aroma, and texture of a full-bodied red wine with a large amount of tannin.
 
From a dark-skinned grape variety, Shiraz typically expresses strong and intense fruit and vegetal flavours such as plum, blackberry, pepper, liquorice, mocha, bitter chocolate, truffle, and mocha. A leathery flavour also emerges after ageing.
 
Yarra Valley also produces other non-classic wine varieties such as Gamay, Nebbiolo, Arneis, and Grüner Veltliner.
 
Gamay has close similarities with Pinot Noir. It is a light-bodied red wine expressing fruity flavours of raspberry and strawberry. It also reveals the floral fragrance of lilac and violets.
 
Nebbiolo is a light-coloured red wine variety with high tannins and the scents of tar and rose. It also expresses the flavours and aromas of cherry, raspberry, prunes, wild herbs, violets, truffles, tobacco, and tar.
 
Expressing a crisp and floral scent, Arneis is a full-bodied white wine that is on the rise in Yarra Valley. It displays a fruity flavour of pear and apricot. Another wine variety is GrünerVeltliner. A food-friendly wine, Grüner Veltliner is a dry white wine exhibiting the flavours of citrus, peach, lime, spicy green pepper, and tobacco.
 
There are more wine varieties being developed and produced in the region. A full day of wine tour might not be enough to try all the wines of Yarra Valley.