Unfold the flavour

Victoria’s range of grape varieties continues to grow at a cracking pace as growers and winemakers, fuelled by their vinous curiosity, add more and more styles to their repertoire. A conversation at the tasting bench will no doubt enhance the landscapes of flavour revealed in each drop.

Sauvignon Blanc

Flavours of this distinctive, dry variety range from herbaceous, zesty and crisp when grown in cool climates, to lime and passionfruit in warmer areas.

Riesling

This wine is naturally high in acidity, with aromas and flavours reminiscent of lime, apple, spice and peach. With age, it can blossom into a wine of subtle richness.

When taken in another direction, it can make intense, sweet, white dessert wines.

Semillon

This grape makes a range of styles from light and delicate to full-bodied, tangy wines that can be dry and toasty if aged in oak barrels, or lusciously sweet.

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio

Two names but one variety that produces wines of depth and substance. Styles range from crisp, light and dry to rich, full and honeyed. Ideal for summer drinking.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay delivers soft, fruity, flavourful wine with attractive pear, melon and apple flavours. It also likes being fermented or aged in oak barrels, resulting in delightfully rich, toasty and buttery flavours.

Pinot Noir

This elegant, understated wine has complex, full, cherry and strawberry flavours and velvet richness, joined by a host of extraordinary savoury and earthy aromas.

Cabernet Sauvignon

This thick-skinned red grape produces rich, black fruit and delicious juicy, blackcurranty flavours. It has the ability to age exceptionally well. Cabernet Franc is a lighter relative.

Shiraz

Often called Australia’s quintessential grape variety, in cooler climates shiraz tends to medium-bodied with red berry, black cherry, pepper and spice flavours. In warmer climes, this variety is more full-bodied, with blackberry, chocolate and stewed-plum characteristics.

Italian varieties

Dolcetto makes light to medium-bodied, berryflavoured wine. Barbera is fuller, with firmer raspberry flavour. Nebbiolo is fragrantly floral, earthy and tannic. Sangiovese offers cherry and savoury characters.

‘Stickies’

Stickies are made from grapes deliberately affected by Noble Rot (Bortrytis cinerea), which attacks grapes such as Semillon in humid, damp conditions, making them shrivel and rot, concentrating flavours, sugar and acidity and creating luscious, golden, sweet wines.

Fortified wine

Fortified lovers should head to the state's northeast where winemakers produce a range of delicious Muscats, Tokays and ports recognised worldwide for their history and quality.

Sparkling wine

Sparkling wine is usually made from chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, and sometimes includes pinot meunier too – generally all grown in cooler climates.

Grapes are put through the ‘methode traditionelle’, developed in Champagne, France. Sparkling red is produced the same way, but using shiraz grapes.