Taking the road west of Melbourne to discover Victoria's best-kept wine secret – Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula

The road west out of Melbourne isn’t dramatic. The city quickly gives way to the Docklands, and on to the Westgate Bridge where you’re met with the seemingly unending sprawl of the western suburbs.

But as you drive into the low lying Werribee Plains, the landscape shifts into a distinctly ‘Australian vista’.

Here, the roads are lined with moonah bushes and eucalyptus trees, and expansive, open fields with sheep grazing; the occasional farm windmill.

And, beyond, the granitic You Yangs, formed from molten magma over 200 million years ago, and with them, the promise of something more interesting.

This is the road to Geelong, Victoria’s second city, and the route out to The Great Ocean Road, one of Australia's – and indeed the world’s – greatest highways.

But before that, if you’re a wine lover, there are wine adventures to be had. You just need to know where to look.

The overlooked region

Geelong is one of Victoria’s smallest wine producing regions with approximately 466 hectares under vine and is often overlooked for the larger and more famous Melbourne-fringe wine regions of the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula.

The GI (geographical indication) is one huge expanse of land, covering three unofficial regions, the Bellarine Peninsula, the Surf Coast and the Moorabool Valley, with large distances between them.

It’s arguably home to some of Australia’s greatest winemakers. So why don’t more people know about it?

One of Australia’s oldest wine regions

The first plantings in the region were recorded in 1842, and by the 1860’s Geelong was the largest producing region in Victoria, making some of Australia’s finest wines.

This all came to a dramatic halt in 1875 when the first ever phylloxera louse in the country was discovered in Geelong.

By 1893, after comprehensive uprooting, there was no wine industry left in the region.

There was replanting in the 1960s, but there were already more established areas in Victoria including Yarra Valley, Rutherglen, Heathcote and Mornington Peninsula.

In the 1970s glimmers of brilliance started to emerge when Stuart Hooper, with the invaluable wine excellence of Gary Farr, established Bannockburn.

Impossible to generalise

But it’s this that makes it inherently interesting. It’s a region of juxtaposition, one that includes the tourist-friendly cellar doors of wealthy Melbournites’ wine projects, all the way through to emblematic producers.

And neither type of producer would exist without the other. They are truly the pioneers of quality and excellence not only of the region, but Australia as a whole.

It’s a thrilling place where Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz can all flourish.

It’s all in the soil

The scope of its capability is in part down to its breadth of geographical area and a real geological patchwork.

As Maree Collis of Lethbridge told me: ‘We’re on the edge of the volcanic plains of Victoria and the soils are built by ancient geology, a limestone base and then lava flows creating rocky outcrops and bluestone veins.

‘And across our region of Geelong, there is such varied geology and soil, from basalt derived clay soils, sandy loams, limestone marle to granite soils.

‘The structure in the soil is reflected in the wines, great tannin, texture and acidity with remarkable aging potential.’

Bigger rarely means better

The wineries are small scale, and family owned with no corporate behemoths.

While this might make regional growth slower, it does mean that it’s likely to be more sustainable.

Allowing for thoughtful and reactive practices to not only reflect the eclectic geology of the region, but the environmental challenges facing growers.

It’s not just about growth for growth's sake as Gus Pollard, third generation of the family-owned Bannockburn, explains: ‘[We’re] excited to continue to refine our ability to make wines with a real sense of place, that honestly express the uniqueness of this small corner of the world.

‘It feels like we’re now in a period where there’s a new level of purity and clarity in what we’re producing.’

Even as Bannockburn celebrates its 50th anniversary, new winemakers are being attracted to the region too.

Ben Mullen, winemaker and co-owner of Mulline Vintners told me: ‘One of the reasons I moved down to Geelong, is that I can make premium Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Syrah all in the same place, from three very separate sub-regions.

‘The vine age is all getting to 25-30 years on average, so perfect for the quality I want to produce and the style I want to make them.’

An exciting future ahead despite the challenges

There is a palpable energy from many of the producers. Pollard says: “It’s a challenging region to farm and make wine in. Water availability is always a consideration, yields are naturally low, and producing high quality wine here is labour intensive.

‘It’s not the easiest place to get established, but those challenges are also a big part of what defines the wines.’

This sentiment is echoed by Mullen. He says: ‘We don’t get large crops but we do get great fruit concentration and quality, and with more people starting to find out about the region, visiting and drinking the wines, it’s really exciting!’

Focusing on single sites and individual blocks seems to be consistent with everyone I spoke to.

Collis explained: IIn recent years other producers from the region are beginning to showcase their individual sites and I think it’s very exciting to see the influence of site and maker, “the hand of god versus the hand of man”. I think that Geelong is emerging as a very exciting region for Pinot Noir especially.’

As Bannockburn looks forward to another 50 years, Pollards says that, ‘what’s exciting is that we’re still a relatively small and sparsely planted region with a strong group of dedicated producers.

‘There’s real potential for growth, both in terms of size and recognition. The individuality of the region is a big part of the appeal. The wines have a clear identity on the world stage, which isn’t something every region can claim.’

In a time where provenance and stories are at the centre of wine, no region can better express both of these than Geelong, it’s an exciting time for this often overlooked area.

Wines from Geelong

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