Surf’s Up! Geelong Region Tasting Report
The Geelong wine region cradles the western corner of Port Phillip Bay and is the gateway to some of the world’s best surf breaks including the famous Bell’s Beach, home to one of the most coveted ASP competitions. The region is a diverse one, meaning that the possibilities for great wines are spread across a number of varieties, broken up into three distinct sub-regional areas: Bellarine Peninsula, Moorabool Valley and Surf Coast.
But of all the possibilities, it’s undoubtedly a region where shiraz singles itself out as the leading red grape. As seen in many other Australian regions, where shiraz does well, riesling also flourishes and the best riesling wines of this region are punchy, mineral-flecked and powerful.
The dilemma in trying to get to grips with what this part of Australia really does best centers around the double act of pinot noir and chardonnay and fact that the spectrum of quality in the region for these two wines runs the full gamut from outstanding to just plain ordinary.
I, and many others, have found ourselves asking how is it that a winemaker like Gary Farr (By Farr and previously Bannockburn Winery) can consistently make some of the greatest pinot noir wines in the entire country and yet many others in this region struggle to get on the map.
The answer, like most things pinot noir, is not a simple one but it splits between the fact that many vineyards in the region are small-scale and run with limited experience, alongside the fact that the soil and climate of the region dictate that pinot noir, in particular, will only succeed in very carefully selected sites which are not plentiful in the area.
The success of the best pinot wines in the region, wines made by Farr and a handful of others, has given an almost false hope to many less experienced producers. Much of the area is simply too dry and too warm to make pinot of real substance and charm. The flip side being, where pinot noir fails to thrive, shiraz is almost made to measure and achieves easily.
So it is important to follow the form of each producer closely in the Geelong region, for whilst quality is on the up, things are really in their infancy. Back in the mid-19th century, Geelong was the most highly planted grape-growing region in Victoria, whereas today it is building its reputation from a small base of mostly smaller producers. Thankfully, there’s some promising talent in the ranks.
Below are about 70 wines tasted.
Photos from top to bottom: Anakie Vineyard and Bellarine Vineyard in Geelong reigon
Contributing Editor Nick Stock is a renowned Australian wine writer, author, presenter and filmmaker who reports on his worldwide wine tasting experiences for JamesSuckling.com.