At two to three hours from Melbourne (depending on which corner you’re aiming for), the Pyrenees remains one of Victoria’s most under-discovered wine regions – which is a bit of a surprise when you consider the stature of some of the wines coming from here. The Pyrenees is best known for its striking Cabernet Sauvignon (you can almost think of it as Victoria’s answer to Coonawarra), but it also produces notably balanced Shiraz and Chardonnay, and can coax magic from less common varietals like Cabernet Franc and Malbec. And probably because it is less touristed, the cellar door experiences to be had here are the stuff of wine hunting dreams. Want to spend an hour trying wines with the winemaker? The Pyrenees is the sort of region where that can still happen (particularly at the smaller cellar doors) – we had two such experiences on a recent weekend visit.
We highly recommend you take the time to explore the Pyrenees. The investment will pay generous wine dividends. It’s good fun to spend a weekend in Ballarat and make day trips into the Pyrenees. (And if you haven’t been to Ballarat recently, its burgeoning high end culinary scene is amazing – almost like Hobart North; you won’t believe it!)
There are many incredible wineries in the Pyrenees, below are a few we heartily endorse. As a reminder, you can find reviews for these and many, many more wineries at winehuntersworld.com/wineries
St Ignatius Vineyard captures so much of the best of what makes a true “boutique winery” – endearing characters (Silvia is enchanting), an incredible story of commitment and determination (Silvia and Enrique left Argentina over 30 years ago to build this dream), and of course, amazing wines. One of the things that really sets their wines apart in this day in age is the extreme quality with which they are made. The Contemplations range is truly a set of wines that will only reach their glorious peak after 5 to 10 years. Many wineries claim the like, but few prove it out in the final product so well as St Ignatius Vineyard. Malbecs and Shiraz are a must here, but if you can find their 2016 Contemplations Cabernet Sauvignon, it is a revelation, with its soft opening that falls gloriously into perfect Cab Sav richness. This wine single handedly explains why some have referred to the Pyrenees as “Victoria’s answer to Coonawarra”.
With over 50 years of experience and now 60-some acres under vine, Mount Avoca is a true pillar of the Pyrenees wine region, and in fact, one cannot say she/he knows the Pyrenees without having paid a visit here. Mount Avoca is organic in the right way, by which we mean that “organic” as applied here, is less a marketing label and more a quality of freshness and joy that shines through their range of wines. What sets Mount Avoca apart more than anything (to us, anyways) is the consistency of quality and deliciousness achieved across their range. Chardonnay, Viognier, Tempranillo, Merlot, Shiraz … yum, yum, yum. You can’t go wrong at Mount Avoca.
With the super cool, almost eerie vibe of its cellar door and Chris’s (the owner) generosity with his time, Forest Gate Estate is a welcome addition to the Pyrenees wine scene. Less than 20 years and 5 acres into the game, Forest Gate already serve’s up one of the Pyrenees’ most notable wine experiences, and the wines themselves aren’t far behind. As of this writing, Forest Gate has four vintages of Shiraz on tasting (a vertical tasting of 4 vintages is a pretty cool thing all unto itself!) The 2016 reaches near perfection – one of those wines that flat out works and will please novices and sommeliers alike. We predict great things to come from Forest Gate – it is one to watch.
And although we weren’t able to get to these spots in our last visit to the Pyrenees, three more wineries not to miss include Bigibila Wines, with its meaty Shiraz that seems to pulls its bold flavours straight from the earth, Pyren Vineyard, with a gorgeous range of elegant wines, and Mitchell Harris Wines, an uber cool winery/wine bar right in Ballarat.
Experiences like those found in the Pyrenees are #WhyWeLoveWine
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