Heathcote wine region

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The Heathcote Wine Region of Victoria, Australia, is nestled between the Goulburn Valley and Bendigo regions. The region is famous as a premium shiraz producing area.

[edit] Geography

North of the Great Dividing Range the region is at elevations between 160m and 380m and the climate and soils are strongly influenced by the Mt Camel range that extends from Corop to Tooborac.^[1] For the most part, the soil under vine is Cambrian - red and deep with excellent water holding capacity. As a consequence some vignerons do not irrigate and aim for smaller fruit intensely rich in flavour.^{[citation needed]} The region’s rainfall is evenly distributed between the seasons and the temperature range is defined as temperate, with cooling winds emanating from the south resulting in summer temperatures two to three degrees cooler than nearby Bendigo.^[1][2]

[edit] Wines

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Heathcote is recognised as a producer of extraordinary Shiraz wines, even rivaling those of the Rhone Valley from where the grape cuttings were originally sourced.^{[citation needed]} It is home to some flagship winemakers who have achieved international fame for their representations of Australian Shiraz.

The oldest Shiraz vines on the Cambrian soil where planted by Albino Zuber in the late 1960's on a site that has now been acquired by Shadowfax Winery.^[3]

Other notable wines of the Heathcote region include Wild Duck Creek Estate - home of the highly praised Duck Muck.^[4] Jasper Hill - an organic grower producing premium fruit for its highly sought after wines and Paul Osicka Wines - one of the longer established wine producers in the Heathcote wine region. However, other wines have emerged to confirm that the region as not only a major producer of ultra-premium Shiraz but some of the highest quality red wines available^{[citation needed]}. The area also produces white wines such as Riesling and Viognier to name but two.

Although Heathcote is regarded as the equal, if not the greater of any other red wine region in Australia, the scarcity of its wines has left the district in relative obscurity. Its wines are perceived as exclusive, not only because of their extremely high quality, but because of the difficulty in obtaining them. This is changing with new plantings and new wineries coming on stream and more boutique Heathcote winemakers preparing to supply the domestic and global markets.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

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