The Pyrenees is a

wine-producing region This list of wine-producing regions catalogues significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. Wine grapes mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degree of latitude, in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Grapes will sometimes ...

centred on the Pyrenees ranges located in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

near the town of Avoca. The Pyrenees Ranges are at the southern end of The Great Dividing Range with altitudes ranging from 300 to over 750 m (approximately 980–2460 ft). Main peaks in the range include Mount Avoca (747 m) and Mount Warrenmang (537 m).

Exploration

The explorer and surveyor Thomas Mitchell was the first European recorded to have travelled through the district on his

1836 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand Augustus Francis Anthony of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. * January 5 – Davy Crockett arrives in Texas. * January 12 ** , with Charles Darwin on board, r ...

journey of exploration. The ranges reminded him of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

in Europe where he had served as an army officer, hence the name he gave them. He found the area more temperate in climate and better watered than inland New South Wales, and he encouraged settlers to take up land in the region he described as "

Australia Felix Australia Felix (Latin for "fortunate Australia" or "happy Australia") was an early name given by Thomas Mitchell to lush pasture in parts of western Victoria he explored in 1836 on his third expedition. On this expedition Mitchell was instruct ...

Wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

Vines were first planted in the region in 1858. Several wine growers produced and sold wine in the region in the late 1800s and early part of the twentieth century. The pioneer of the region Edwin Horatio Mackereth had his vineyard sold to a dairy farmer in 1929 by his descendants. Another early producer Kofoeds survived until 1947. The 1960s saw the re-establishment of vineyards in the area by Nathan & Wyeth in conjunction with the French Cognac producer

Rémy Martin Rémy Martin () is a French firm that primarily produces and sells cognac. Founded in 1724 and based in the commune of Cognac, it is among the oldest cognac producers still in existence. and one of the "big four" cognac houses (along with Hennes ...

planting grapes in 1963. The official planting ceremony on 1 June 1963 included Victorian Government Minister for Lands, The Minister of State Development and Avoca Shire President. Since the 1970s the region has been a significant producer of full-bodied red wines based on

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...

and

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

grape varieties. The original eight wineries of the region in the 1970s and 1980s included: Chateau Rémy (now known as Blue Pyrenees Estate), Dalwhinnie Vineyard,

Mount Avoca Vineyard Mount Avoca Vineyard is an Organic certification, organic vineyard and five red star rated winery located in the Pyrenees (Victoria), Pyrenees Wine Region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia near the town of Avoca, Victoria, Avoca produ ...

, Mountain Creek, Summerfield Vineyards, Redbank Winery (now known as Sally's Paddock), Taltarni Vineyards and Warrenmang Vineyard. Warrenmang bought Mountain Creek in the 1990s and the wineries of the region now number almost thirty with a second wave of plantings and investment in the 1990s. The original vineyards and wineries planted in the 1970 centred around the towns of Moonambel and Avoca. while the 1990s saw large vineyards planted in the Landsborough valley between Landsborough and Elmhurst. Plantings now extend from near

Waubra Waubra (formerly known as The Springs) is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Sunraysia Highway, north west of Ballarat and split between the Pyrenees Shire and City of Ballarat local government areas. At the , Waubra and the surr ...

in the south to St Arnaud in the north. The main white varieties planted include

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

and

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rhôn ...

with smaller plantings of Semillon and

Pinot Grigio Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...

, while the main varieties of

and

are well supported by a range of other varieties from France such as

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

and

Grenache Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditi ...

, Italy for

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape i ...

Nebbiolo Nebbiolo (, ; pms, nebieul ) is an Italian red wine grape variety predominantly associated with its native Piedmont region, where it makes the '' Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita'' (DOCG) wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero ...

and

Lagrein Lagrein (pronounced lah-GRAH’EEN, lah-GRINE or lah-GRI’NE) is a red wine grape variety native to the valleys of South Tyrol, northern Italy. Along with Marzemino, it is a descendant of Teroldego, and related to Syrah, Pinot noir and Dureza. ...

and Spain for

Tempranillo Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its ...

. Tourism is a very important part of the region's economy, with many wineries offering cellar-door tastings. Accommodation and dining are available at several of the wineries as the region continues to develop tourism infrastructure. Exports are also significant for many wineries with sales into China, the US and Scandinavia.

List of wineries (2017) Pyrenees Wineries official website
/ref>

*Amherst *Berrys Bridge *Bigibila *Blue Pyrenees Estate *M. Chapoutier *Dalwhinnie *Dogrock *Equus at Moonambel *Forest Gate Estate *Glenlofty *Grape Farm Winery *Gwynnyth Vineyard *Kara Kara *Kenred *Lamplough Estate *Mitchell Harris * Mount Avoca *Peerick Vineyard *Pyren Vineyard *Quartz Hill *Quoin Hill *Sally's Paddock *Summerfield
Taltarni
*Warrenmang Vineyard & Resort
Wimmera Hills

References

External links

*
Thomas Mitchell ''Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia'', Volume 2Wineries of the Pyrenees official websitePyrenees Gold Field
Victoria Geol. Survey, 1904, WM Bradford; discusses Geology of Pyrenees area and Gold Field. {{Authority control Wine regions of Victoria (Australia) Mountain ranges of Victoria (Australia) Regions of Victoria (Australia)

Exploration

Wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

List of wineries (2017) Pyrenees Wineries official website/ref>

See also

References

External links

List of wineries (2017) Pyrenees Wineries official website
/ref>