Mornington Peninsula

With its distinct maritime climate and proximity to Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula has long been a centre of part-time, boutique winemakers. Producing such traditional varieties as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to such effect that in recent years bigger wine-makers have also entered the region, bringing with them a touch of professionalism. Originally home to the Bunurong people, the Mornington Peninsula was then influenced by whalers and sealers. As Melbourne developed, the region supplied the city’s markets as well as providing a prime tourist area for Melbournians on weekends and holidays.

The Peninsula is famous for its bay beaches and is just an hour south of Melbourne. The area boasting not only vineyards but outstanding golf courses, including Moonah Links, host to the Australian Open, swimming bays and wild surf beaches. Also, cosmopolitan towns such as Portsea, Sorrento and Mornington, coastal hideaways like Flinders, and quiet hinterland villages such as Red Hill dot the landscape. With its Mediterranean-like climate, the landscape has become similar too, olive groves, hills laced with vineyards, waterfront cafes and restaurants, roadside signs for strawberries or free range eggs and markets filled with fresh local produce.

While there was some viticulture in the 1880 and 90s and again in the 1950s, it wasn't until the early 1970s that the modern history of wine production began. The high summer humidity and rainfall was recognised as similar to France’s best wine producing regions and soon the areas orchards were being replaced with vineyards catering to the tourism market with cellar doors and restaurants. When Nat White first planted vines it was cabernet and merlot that he largely planted, a fact that he now admits by saying “most of the mistakes have been made on the peninsula now, and most of them were made by me”. In fact, the late ripening and gentle autumn favours Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Shiraz. Today, there are over 200 vineyards, half of which are under 5 acres and many of the rest less than 10 acres, though recent expansion has come from larger vineyards of over 20 acres, which are now 42% of the total area planted.

The climate is dominated by strong winds that sweep across Port Phillip Bay on the west and up from Bass Strait to the south. While rainfall is regular throughput the year, irrigation is common during the growing season with harvest time generally from late March to late May.

The Mornington’s wine reputation is built around Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. However, the red volcanic soils also grow a fine Shiraz and other varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Gris and Riesling. Generally it’s too cool to get cabernet to ripen consistently, though some of the warmer areas around Dromana, or in the north of the region, have had some success. The climatic difference between the high, or southern, areas (cooler) and the lower, more northern, areas (warmer) is seen in the area’s Pinot Noir, which tend to have more delicate strawberry flavours where it’s cool, and plummy flavours where it’s warm.

With over 200 wineries to choose from, most with Wine Cellars and many with fine restaurants, there is definitely something for even the most discerning wine palette. Some of the many choices include the Paringa Estate, voted Australian Winery of the Year and best known its Pinot Noirs and Shiraz. Here you can enjoy great food with award winning wines. Another is Stonier Wines, established 1978 and producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wines. Local cheese platters, winery tours and children’s playground make this a good choice for families. Kooyong Wines produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and small amounts of Pinot Gris and while Kooyong is not open to the public, its wines are available for tastings and sales at Port Phillip Estate Cellar Door. There is also Montalto, a relative newcomer but designed to provide a well-rounded experience from its sculpture scattered property and wetland walking trails, to its outdoor dining and naturally, yet more fine wines.

In addition to touring the many individual vineyards, the Mornington Peninsula has some great wine events including Peninsula Piers & Pinots in March, Red Hill and Sorrento Long Lunches also in March, Winter Wine Weekend in June and for Pinot lovers a Pinot Noir Celebration in February.

In the past, Mornington’s wines have been criticised for being too dependent on part-time winemakers, meaning that they can produce good wine but not great wine. But in the last half a dozen years larger winemakers have changed the face of the Peninsula’s winemaking so that it is fast becoming Australia’s leading producer of high quality maritime, cool climate wines, in particular Pinot Noir. The emphasis on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is indicative of its cool, windy climate, as is the almost total lack of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Despite the emphasis on Pinot Noir this is not a wine that will ever be in abundant supply. As Nat White, who some say began the modern era of Mornington Peninsula wine when he began planting grapes in the mid 1970s, believes “a lot of quite nice pinot will be produced on the peninsula, but there’ll never be anything other than very little great pinot, because there’ll never be that many people prepared to accept the low cropping levels and leaf plucking and all the practices you need to create it.”

So for those lucky enough to live in Melbourne or to visit this southern capital, the easy trip down to the Mornington Peninsula is sure to provide hours, days, or if you wish, even weeks of tastings of some of Australia’s finest wines in some of its most beautiful settings.