The Big Picture

Heathcote is recognised as a producer of extraordinary Shiraz wines, even rivalling those of the Rhone Valley from where the grape cuttings were originally sourced, and is home to  winemakers who have achieved international fame for their representations of Australian Shiraz. However, other red wines of quality also have emerged, as well as whites such as Chardonnay and Viognier.

Heathcote wines are perceived as exclusive, not only because of their extremely high quality, but because of the difficulty in obtaining them.  

Heathcote Wine Region

Climate

Heathcote's climate and soils are strongly influenced by the Mt Camel Range, which runs from Corop in the north to Tooborac in the south, providing natural tunneling for the prevailing cool, south to south-east winds that blow throughout the growing period from October to March. The result is summer temperatures two to three degrees lower than the peaks for nearby Bendigo, and a cooler mean January temperature. Rainfall is surprisingly even during the year and, thanks to the hillside location of most vineyards, spring frost is seldom a problem.

Soil

While there is significant soil variation in the region, the slopes of the Mt Camel Range comprise a superb red soil with fine structure overlying uniformly textured red calcareous sodic clay soils. Confusingly for laymen, these soils are known as Cambrian Greenstones and, in their local manifestation, as the Heathcote Greenstone Belt.

Wines

Shiraz: Few would argue that Heathcote's conjunction of climate and soil produces world-class Shiraz with a unique character. It is deep, rich and velvety, with cascades of dark cherry plum and sweetly spicy fruit, and ripe but fine tannins giving texture and sustaining length. It is hardly necessary to add that such wines age superbly. Indeed, the end point is yet to be determined, given that most of the wineries date from the mid 1970s, and many of the Shiraz plantings are less than 20 years old.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Further proving that this is red wine country, the Cabernet Sauvignon style is rich and generous, with blackberry aromatics and flavours, without any hint of the herbaceous. Some of the central Victorian eucalypt-mint character can make its presence felt in some vintages. Merlot, the third most important variety, is very much a handmaiden to Cabernet Sauvignon, rather than a varietal in its own right.

Vital Statistics