Geelong - Wines to Write Home About!

‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍In recent history, as a wine region, Geelong (and surrounds) has lived in the shadows of the Mornington Peninsula and industry-darling, Yarra Valley (all three within within 1.5 hours of Melbourne). Simply stated, Geelong’s winemaking potential was not considered to be at the same level as the aforementioned. But views are quickly changing and with good reason! On a recent wine trip to the area, we found some incredible wines around Geelong – wines that frankly match or exceed anything else we’ve seen from VIC recently.

Below we offer four Geelong wineries you simply must check out. If you’re not an advocate of Geelong wines, you will be! As a reminder, for full reviews on these and many more wineries, visit winehuntersworld.com/wineries

1) Clyde Park – Where to start in our praise of this incredible winery? (Please DO see our full review here: http://winehuntersworld.com/…/bellarine…/clyde-park) It is easily one of the top three wineries in all the sub-regions around Geelong. Clyde Park ticks all the boxes. The cellar door, with its sweeping vistas of vine-covered ravines is stunning. You’re filled with a sense of wonder & awe as you approach the place. And then there is the tasting experience, which is set apart by two specific features. a) The service. In our most recent visit, we were greeted by an actual trained wine professional, Daniel, who took us through an engaged & informative tasting. b) The range. Clyde Park is doing what more wineries should – crafting a nuanced range with fewer varietals, not more. Clyde Park offers only 5 varietals but has turned this into over 10 wines by presenting a variety of single block wines. Such a cool experience!

And finally, of course, the wines are SUBLIME. Their 2017 E Block Shiraz is a master class in the pinnacles a cool climate/vintage Shiraz can achieve. Their 2018 B Block Pinot Noir, by contrast, is a show-stopper, nearly blurring the lines with elegant Syrah expectations. And there are so many wonderful wines to be tried in between. Pay up for the full tasting – it will be one of the best you’ve ever had.

2) McGlashan Estate is such a refreshing stop. The place just feels right. Attractive, but unpretentious cellar door. No-frills views of the beautiful vineyard from the picnic tables outside. Tall trees blowing gently in the wind, old wagon wheels … there’s some magic here. But the real magic is the wines. We absolutely loved five of six wines on offer across four varietals and three styles – this almost never happens (usually lucky to think even two wines are great). There is a depth and a subtle complexity to all McGlashan’s wines (including the Pinot Grigio, if you can believe that!), and that is a sure sign of premium fruit picked at the right time and adroit winemaking. Our take on the Shiraz, for example reads as follows: “A beautiful, dark Shiraz that starts oh so subtly but impresses itself bit by bit as it unfolds across the palate, eventually asserting itself as a “full-bodied” wine. Dark, black raspberry is the overarching fruit character, but there is so much more going on below the mysterious, dark & inky depths …” Refreshingly, McGlashan’s wines are priced attractively in the $30 to $40 range. Well worth a visit for a tasting or just to enjoy a glass on their grounds.

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‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍3) Scotchmans Hill has established itself as the benchmark for Bellarine Peninsula winemaking, and indeed, on wines alone, we place Scotchmans at the pinnacle of the Bellarine Peninsula and firmly in the top three wineries among all of Geelong’s sub-regions. They are just that good (and consistent). And most impressively (because we so rarely see it), they achieve greatness across a large number of wines and ranges produced – actually making each range stand for something in a clear and meaningful way. From their surprisingly delicious “entry level” Mount Bellarine Pinot Noir to their undeniably exquisite Cornelius Pinot Noir, Scotchmans does “yum” very well across the board. We find the core Scotchmans Hill range to exude delicious fruit heft and character, while the Cornelius range does such an incredible job of bringing out the nuances of each varietal – truly outstanding. And don’t miss their beautiful cellar door, perched on a hill overlooking vineyards and the Port Phillip Bay – so beautiful!

‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍4) For something different and refreshing, the adorable Basils Farm is definitely worth a visit. The cute little stop offers a bit of everything – vineyard, cellar door, café, vegetable gardens, farm animals (you can feed the llamas – they never turn down a handful of grass), and perhaps the Bellarine’s most commanding views (the site literally bookends into Swan Bay). It must be the most serene and endearing spot in all of the Geelong wine regions. Most importantly, the wine is good too! Although Basil’s only grows a small amount of the underlying fruit, its wines are made by the highly skilled Lethbridge Wines team, and the focus is on terroir, with minimal intervention, wild yeast fermentation, etc. Their “goldilocks” 2019 Pinot Noir is delicious, and the 2019 Shiraz is a cool climate masterpiece. These wines capture time and place in the most authentic way, and what a wonderful place to capture