Murray-Darling Victoria,
New South Wales
The Murray-Darling vineyard region winds itself along
the great Murray River. The constant sunshine allows for the production
of wines with ripe fruit flavours and softness.
The region extends from the South Australian border to just east
of Balranald in New South Wales taking in both sides of the Murray
River and part of the Darling and Murrumbidgee rivers. The largest
concentration of vineyards is around Mildura and Red Cliffs and
further east around Euston.
The region was opened up to agricultural production by irrigation
initiated in the 1870s by George and William Chaffey. Today the
region is the powerhouse of the Australian wine industry with all
the big wine companies producing bulk table wines and fortifieds
with an increasing proportion of production being devoted to premium
wine especially Chardonnay.
The climate is continental; hot and dry with low rainfall making
it a relatively fungus disease free region thus reducing the risk
for such large-scale production. A range of grape varieties are
grown, with, however, an emphasis on Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon
and fortified varieties such as Muscat Gordo Blanco, Semillon and
Colombard.
The region's status as a food basket was amply demonstrated on
the ABC TV program and book A Gondola on the Murray presented
by Mildura chef Stefano De Pieri. The produce from this region is
wonderfully diverse as are the people who bring it to our tables.
Harvest time: late January to mid March
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