Glenrowan

The Glenrowan wine region is close to the Warby Ranges and Mt. Glenrowan in north-eastern Victoria and includes the towns of Wangaratta, Glenrowan, Winton and Benalla. The town of Glenrowan is 185 kilometers north-east of Melbourne or less than a 2 hour drive.

Glenrowan began as grazing land in 1846 and is named after the brothers James and George Rowan who owned 16,000 acres in the area. By 1857, this was being broken up into allotments and a town had started to grow. In 1862, Glenrowan was being used by Cobb & Co. as a place to change horses and for a quick meal. Despite the arrival of the railroad in 1873, and the building of a school soon after, Glenrowan remained a sleepy place until its big scene in 1880. This was when Ned Kelly chose Glenrowan to make his famous last stand, armour and all, before going down in a blaze of police bullets and captured.

The Glenrowan wine region is located on the eastern side of the Warby Ranges. Wine growing developed in the area along with the settlement of large numbers of people during the gold rush era of the 1850s and 60s. Glenrowan made a reputation for itself in the production of strong reds and fortified wines, a reputation that was mainly the result of the Bailey’s family’s efforts. This began in 1866 with Varley Bailey, the son of Richard Bailey, who on the Bundarra Estate created their famous Hermitage Shiraz, as well as intensely flavoured Muscats and Tokays. This same property is now owned by Beringer Blass Estates and still produces reds and fortified wines under the Baileys of Glenrowan label.

While also affected by the phylloxera outbreak, Glenrowan, unlike many Victoria regions, was able to replant with phylloxera resistant vines and wine continued to be produced in the region. Currently the small Glenrowan wine region has some 13 growers and 7 cellar doors.

This is a warm region with low rainfall during the ripening season and cool night time temperatures. The vineyards need little irrigation and the warm climate allows late maturing red varieties to ripen. Most of the Glenrowan region’s vineyards today can be found near Glenrowan town between the Warby Ranges and Lake Mokoan. Lake Mokoan is a new creation, having being formed only in 1970 from land that was formerly a swamp. However, it is the warmer air that comes off the lake that helps reduce the impact of the cold air that comes down from the Warby Ranges. Conversely, in the hot summer months the same lake helps to cool the land at night.

Glenrowan region has historically producing powerfully flavoured wines, particularly fortified wines but also full bodied Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Durif, as well as rich Chardonnay and subtle Rieslings. Glenrowan region is also famous for its aromatic Muscat and Tokay.

While Glenrowan is undoubtedly a small wine region, its beauty and the nearness of its wineries and cellar doors to each other makes this a charming and easy to access wine region. Baileys of Glenrowan is the most historical of the wineries having been established in 1870. Baileys still does what it has always done, make fine red and delicious fortified wines. Another vineyard with historic connections is the Herceynia Vineyard, originally planted in the 1880s, it too fell to the phylloxera pest. Today the vineyard and original cellars have been restored by Michael and Nancy Reid in what is now the Auldstone Cellars.

Major events of the Glenrowan region include the Kelly Siege Commemorative Event in June, the Queens Birthday Long Weekend - Glenrowan Wine and Food festival, and the Wangaratta Jazz Festival in November with live Jazz music at both the Auldstone and Baileys wineries. The nearby Warby Ranges State Park also provides great bushwalking and many spectacular views.

With the town of Glenrowan as the place of the Kelly Gang’s last stand, it has made the most of this tourist attraction by having not one but two museums devoted to the Kelly’s. While Glenrowan today has none of the original buildings from the time of Ned Kelly’s visit, the community has constructed a replica of the original railway station and also a replica of the Kelly home. Many interesting artifacts can be seen in the various museums, and the numerous plaques around town show you where some of the siege events occurred, including the site of the Glenrowan Inn burned down by the besieging troopers. On the corner of Gladstone and Kate St, and at 6-metres tall pretty hard to miss, is a statue of Kelly dressed in his famous armour and holding a rifle.

For many years famous for its fortifieds and good bodied reds, the Glenrowan region also now turns out a modern range of whites and other varieties. Glenrowan’s Shiraz styles are worth cellaring, and its Muscats and Tokays are among Australia’s best dessert wine styles.