Everybody likes a comeback story. The feel-good experience of watching someone fall down and get back up again. It reaffirms the strength of the human spirit, of resilience and persistence in the face of adversity. During the 1860s, Geelong was Victoria’s largest wine region and a veritable powerhouse of Australian wine, exporting to Europe and consistently receiving acclaim for its high-quality offerings. But alas, an outbreak of phylloxera saw a government-issued directive to remove all vines from the area in 1875. Having descended from vinous riches to vineless rags, a 100-year hiatus ensued, and while today the region can’t claim the power position of old, its rise back to prominence is incontrovertible. Geelong fell down, and we’re watching it get back up again.
This is, in large part, thanks to the pillar-producers that stand tall today. The historically intertwined Moorabool Valley icons of By Farr and Bannockburn have proven to the modern-day wine world that Geelong is capable of producing wines of the highest order, particularly from chardonnay and pinot noir. Ten years into his tenure as head winemaker at Bannockburn Vineyards, Matt Holmes is hitting all the high notes. His was a characteristically measured and considered approach to change, ensuring he hastened slowly with his amendments to style while keeping the Bannockburn ID safely intact. Today, the wines are more finessed and elegant than ever before while still wonderfully expressive of the muscular Moorabool Valley terroir. There’s no resting on one’s laurels, however.
“In a vineyard sense we have recently added new (to us) clones of chardonnay and pinot noir (548 and 667 respectively)”, says Matt. And it doesn’t end there. “Motivated by our oldest pinot block turning 50 next year, we're also about to plant a close planted (10,000 vines/ha) selection massale pinot block, and as a look to the future we're planting some aligoté at the same time.”
On the Surf Coast, renowned winemaker Simon Steele was recently appointed as general manager at Bellbrae Estate. He’ll be heading up winemaking along with his general manager duties and, with his glowing track record in head winemaker roles at Brokenwood and Medhurst, there’s excitement in the air around what Steele can achieve with this 26-year-old estate. The general suspicion, of course, is that the wines will be taken to a new level.
Everybody likes a comeback story, and Geelong’s in for an exciting chapter.
Expand your knowledge with Halliday Wine Academy
Halliday Wine Academy offers an in-depth view of the Australian and international wine landscapes. Select Introduction to Wine to learn about Australian wine and regions or choose Wines of the World to get to know international wines.
Through Introduction to Wine, students will learn about Australian wine and wine regions, how wine is made, how to taste and describe wine, how to approach food and wine matches, along with handy tips that address common wine questions. In part one of our Wines of the World course, discover and explore the iconic wines, regions and laws of France, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Germany and Austria. In part two, learn about Italy, Greece, the Americas, South Africa and New Zealand.
