REGION & SUBREGIONS

AUSTRALIA’s PREMIER COOL CLIMATE REGION

THE GEELONG WINE REGION

Whether it is the distinctive maritime flavours of The Bellarine, the ancient richness of the Moorabool Valley or the rugged, exposed coastline of the Surf Coast, the Geelong Wine Region is united by boutique, family owned winegrowers producing premium quality hand crafted wines.

With each sub region and winery displaying their own unique characteristics, visitors are invited to explore the diversity of the stunning scenery, touring routes and restaurants whilst sampling some of Victoria’s finest cellar door experiences.

Geelong’s family owned boutique operators maximise their wine’s potential by hand pruning, hand picking and hand crafting their wines allowing regional characters to develop.

Areas within the region have varying microclimates influencing the depth of colour, bouquet and flavour of the wines. The Bellarine has a maritime climate with bay breezes and spectacular views, whilst the hills and valleys of the Moorabool Valley have a warm, continental style climate. The Surf Coast is famous for its long summer days and cooling ocean breezes.

Not only does the Geelong wine region produce some of Australia’s best wines, but the wineries are surrounded by some of Victoria’s best scenery and touring opportunities.

The Geelong Wine Region boasts historical roots back to the early 1800’s when Geelong was a booming regional centre, hub of the vast Western District trade. The planting of vines by Swiss Settlers saw Geelong and its surrounding areas emerge as the largest grape growing region in Victoria, and one of the largest in Australia.

Wine enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, Daryl & Nini Sefton, appreciating the history of Geelong Wine and realising the opportunity to establish Geelong as a premium wine growing region, led the 1966 renaissance which today sees more than 60 vineyards across Moorabool Valley, The Bellarine Peninsula and The Surf Coast fulfilling the dreams of the early Swiss Settlers.

“If there is a unifying feature in all of the Geelong wines, it is their strength and depth of colour, bouquet and flavour.”

James Halliday, Wine Atlas of Australia and New Zealand

THE MAGNIFICENT 3

THE THREE SUBREGIONS

MARITIME CLIMATE

The Bellarine

The Bellarine has been one of Victoria’s best kept secrets. Now the secret is out and people flock to enjoy the perfect maritime climate of warm days and cool nights. The shelter of Port Phillip Bay is perfect for producing cool climate wines in the rich black basalt soil laid over limestone. Long, slow summers allow for the perfect ripening of the fruit producing rich, lush wines of distinction.
WARM CONTINENTAL STYLE

The Moorabool Valley

Nestled between Geelong and Ballarat, the Moorabool Valley is steeped in history of an ancient kind. 20,000 years ago it sat on the bottom of the sea, only to be reclaimed as land by millennia of volcanic activity. The legacy is the tough limestone and basalt base which forms this regions unique terroir.
The Moorabool Valley has a fast growing reputation for exotics as well as the traditional varieties that flourish across all of the Geelong Wine Region. The Moorabool Valley’s Mediterranean style climate is producing interesting and unusual grape varieties.

RUGGED OCEAN BREEZES

The Surf Coast & Otways

Famous for the Great Ocean Road, the Surf Coast is gaining a reputation for producing extraordinary wines from the Coast lashed by the violent weather of Bass Strait. Such a close proximity to the ocean makes growing in sandy loam challenging. The Region’s winemakers have risen to the challenge and are producing some extraordinary wines from these harsh conditions.