Overview

Glenrowan is one of Victoria's most historic wine regions, with production dating back to 1870. This picturesque small region comprises 13 growers and seven cellar doors. Though phylloxera devastated the region in the late 1890s and early 1900s, most successful vineyards were quickly replanted with disease-resistant rootstock, and winemaking resumed.

The Big Picture

Renowned throughout Australia as "Kelly country'", few know that the wine history of Glenrowan preceded the infamous bushranger Ned. After settlement in the 1840s and 1850s by the Rowan family of graziers, after whom the town is named, Richard Bailey and his family established themselves in the early 1860s on their Bundarra property, situated north-west of the town. The Baileys had followed the gold prospectors of the 1850s and settled in the area as storekeepers, supplying the diggers on the Beechworth and Ovens goldfields. After gold fever abated , Richard sold the store and purchased Bundarra, where he ran cattle and sheep for a time.

In 1866, Richard's son Varley planted vines on the rich red granite soil beneath the Warby Ranges. The vines thrived, as did the orchards planted soon after. His fortified wines were such a success that he quickly expanded the vineyard and in the next 20 years created a thriving local and export wine business. Bailey's Bundarra winery was carried on by his descendants until 1972. Esca Booth also came to the region in 1904 and his descendants still make wine at Taminick Vineyards.

Glenrowan Wine Region

Climate

The climate is ideal. Glenrowan is undoubtedly warm – and comparable to nearby Rutherglen, with which it shares a robust style of red and rich fortified wine. It is slightly cooler in January, drier during the growing season and wetter year round, yet has a considerably higher heat degree day summation (1567). The region has low rainfall probability during the ripening period, with cool night temperatures. The constant breeze allows the vines to cool rapidly at night and warm early in the morning, which maximises the daily ideal temperature duration for colour, flavour and tannin development. The consistency of seasons is a real feature, delivering limited vintage variability.

Soil

The Warby Ranges, which  formed over millions of years via marine deposits and several faults which lifted up part of the granite, are the predominant geological formation in the region. The vineyards on their slopes are established on the well-drained, fertile, deep red clay and loamy clay soils that result from the weathering of granitic material washed down from the ranges. On the ranges themselves, at 400 metres (1,312 feet) elevation, there are also red and yellow duplex soils especially suited to vineyards and orchards. The soil types surrounding nearby Lake Mokoan are dark clays, loams and silty sands.

Wines

Shiraz: There are many stories about the massive palate weight of earlier Baileys Bundarra Shiraz (formerly and famously called Hermitage). The most famous quote was that it was at once “wine, food and a good cigar”. The earthy berry-flavoured Shiraz reds of Glenrowan have been trimmed down somewhat in recent years, but they remain wines of stature and among the bigger Australian Shiraz styles, worthy of cellaring for many years.

Other: Old mellow fortified reds made from Shiraz and sometimes Touriga; quite sweet and with somewhat greater body than the tawny styles of South Australia. Older examples can show considerable rancio characteristics. Muscats and Tokays vie with those from the nearby Rutherglen region for primacy among Australia’s dessert wine styles. Some critics emphasise the finesse of the Rutherglen styles, while others prefer the sheer power of those at Glenrowan.

Vital Statistics

A Case In Point: Peter Long, Granite Range Estate, Glenrowan, Victoria

Peter Long’s family tree has borne some interesting fruit, perhaps none more so than his convict great-great-grandfather Isaac, who had his involuntary Tasmanian residency significantly extended after he made off with some wine and cheese to which he was not entitled. And while cheek, guile, and perseverance clearly run deep in the Long gene pool, it seems an appreciation of life’s finer things is never far below the surface.

Peter says his interest in wine has been lifelong. As far back as the '60s and '70s, family holidays would see Peter and his wife Maureen take their six children touring South Australia’s wine regions. Yet it was not until 2000, at age 62, that Peter’s wine passion translated into a career.

“I think people spend a lot of time through their 50s planning their retirement and thinking about where they’re going to play golf and what sort of boat they might buy,” he says. “But I found that once I hit 60, I had to keep going for fear the old adrenaline pump would give out.”

So at the end of an extremely successful engineering career, Peter “kept going” and started studying viticulture. Seven years on, he has his 11 acres of Shiraz and Merlot grapes and the stunning views of the snow-capped mountains of Mt Buffalo, Mt Feathertop and the Bogong High Plains.

“I think we have something very special here and I have no plan to stop anytime soon,” he says. “People want to deal with the person who owns the business and who makes the wine, whether they’re a restaurateur or someone who’s just driven to my cellar door. We do that. The big boys can hire all the sales reps they want, but they won’t be able to offer people the experience we can.”

Summary

Glenrowan has a long history of viticulture, with vines grown in the region since 1866.  The region has a comparable climate to Rutherglen, though it has cooler temperatures in January and is generally wetter year round.  The soils on the Warby Ranges are quite fertile and especially suited to vineyards and orchards. Shriaz is the main wine produced in the region, along with some fortified wines.

Acknowledgements

Victorian Wine Industry Association

Wineries, Cellar Doors & Vineyards

Auldstone Cellars, Bailey of Glenrowan, Booths Taminick Cellars, Granite Range Estate, Goorambath, Judd’s Warby Range Estate and Morrisons of Glenrowan.

If you would like to have your winery included in this list, please email awbc@awbc.com.au.