Yarra Valley Visit - Part One

Written by Ian Robertson on 13th November 2006

The Yarra Valley is probably the most accessible major vineyard area in Australia. So why had I only visited it once??

Well, admittedly, it is partly due to the simple fact that I am a Sydney-sider. Surely Melbourne can’t have something quicker, easier and better than the Hunter Valley, can it?

Well it can, and it does.

Flying into Tullamarine Airport, picking up a Hire Car and driving for an hour and a half at most will plonk you straight into the middle of the Yarra Valley. Quick, easy, and even for a spatially challenged individual like myself, easy to navigate.

I stayed at the Sebel Heritage Yarra Valley. The Sebel was very functional – rooms were spacious and neat, if lacking in a little imagination. The restaurant was a tad disappointing – I know there was better food and service elsewhere, so I felt I was missing out on something by eating at the Sebel. If you are a golfer, the course looked very nice. I am not really much more than a casual hacker, so it meant not a jot to me.

In general, first impressions of the Valley are good ones – one minute you are driving through suburban Melbourne, the next you seem to descend into hobby farmland and vines. The gently undulating hills are scenic and tranquil, and it is greener than you would think – the area obviously gets enough rain for picture postcard purposes. The roads are unfussy affairs, and even though we were there on a long weekend, traffic was certainly nothing to get excited about.

In general, the region lies in and around the townships of Yarra Glen, Healesville and Warburton. Each town is worth a visit, and contain nice pubs, touristy nick nack stores and regional produce. Yarra Glen has a few antique stores for those so inclined.

But of course, it is the wine that I need to start telling you about. For a good few years, Yarra Valley wine was regarded as thin, acidic and overpriced. Well, the prices are often a little more than many of us will be happy to pay, but the quality is among the best in Australia for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sparkling wine.

The better Pinot Noirs ranged from about $25 to almost $70. There are exceptions – Hoddles Creek being around $17.99 – however these are not cheap quaffers. For the most part, the distinctive lead pencil bite of acid and balanced tannin mark out Pinot’s of complexity and length. Some are fuller and rounder in style – most however are lean and elegant, with a nose of green leaves.

In Chardonnay territory, it has to be said that there is real evidence of some excellent winemaking. The area seems well suited to crisp, clean and lean chardonnay. Good examples could easily be found for around $15 right up to $70 a bottle. Almost every cellar door served up an example that had something nice to say – something you will rarely find in the other wine regions!

As for the Sparkling wines, again the better examples were light, crisp and elegant, without too many ‘toasty’ characters to distract from the crispness. Surprisingly for a region with a name for sparkling wine, many operations did not produce an example.

In Part Two, I will go through the Cellar Doors that I visited and let you know the best ones to visit, both in terms of wine quality and other noteworthy items of discussion!