Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges
Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges
Wineries
Prepare yourself for a memorable day's touring and take in three unique districts between breakfast and supper - or linger and spend a week enjoying the fruits of the land. From the altitude of Macedon to the plains surrounding Sunbury, and further north, Lancefield, a range of climates produces many excellent wines. Joining an organised tour group will enhance any visit, whether you're a casual drinker or an avid wine buff. Many vineyards also offer visitors the opportunity to match local produce with their wines, so you can look forward to a gastronomic indulgence of magnificent proportions. Local gourmet produce makes the perfect accompaniment to wonderful local wines. Look out for road side stalls and hand-painted signs inviting hungry travellers down long, winding driveways towards tasty home-made fare.
Sunbury was a prolific wine producing area last century. Eight vineyards flourished in the 1860s, until economic decline all but destroyed the industry. Today, Craiglee and Goona Warra have been replanted, their original bluestone buildings now welcome weekend wine buffs. Sunbury's unique mix of a cool climate and fertile volcanic soil produces award winning Chardonnay, Cabernets and Shiraz and you'll find some of Victoria's most elegant table wines awaiting your taste buds, just thirty minutes drive from Melbourne.
Some of Victoria's best sparkling and table wines are produced in Macedon Wineries. The altitude and cold climate - the coolest in Australia - is perfect for early nurturing varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The lower altidues of the region have been known for their Shiraz and Cabernet, but recently the success of Reislings, Chardonnays and Pinots has shown the area's strengths.
Lancefield's rich, fertile soil, abundant rainfall and cool summers have attracted many winegrowers such as the Glen Erin Grange Winery with its cellar door tastings in a rustic setting. The Cleveland Winery offers award-winning wines in their 'Gothic revival' manor house and Mt William produce a superb range of wines, including Australia's classic Sparkling Burgundy. You'll find these and many more wineries all within easy reach of Lancefield.
Finally, In the shadow of Hanging Rock sits the largest winery in the region, the Hanging Rock Winery. The vines perch on a rugged hillside facing the rock, enduring cold through winter to produce Hanging Rock Macedon, said by many to be Australia's finest sparkling wine.
Rugged windswept landscapes and genuine country hosptality await wine lovers throughout the region - and its all within an hour or two of Melbourne.
