Taking up 41,556 square kilometres of Victoria’s landmass, Gippsland is bordered by mountainous national parks and the sea, making for a region exuding natural beauty – something that isn’t easily experienced in just one visit. For touring convenience, a few weekend trips are recommended to cover Gippslands sub-regions: West Gippsland (Baw Baw), Central Gippsland, East Gippsland, Bass Coast and South Gippsland. As Wine Gippsland’s president, Alistair Hicks notes, “We have a diverse range of cellar doors across the region – too many to cover in just one visit, so it’s perfect for making plans for a few trips.” Gippsland is home to fifty-one wineries, thirty of which have cellar doors, and more will open to the public in the future.

If you plan on exploring the region, “some enterprising businesses have banded together to create memorable tours and experiences,” Hicks details. Whether that’s a bus tour or a helicopter tour over the Gippsland Lakes, followed by a visit to local wineries and a restaurant lunch stop, there are tour options that will suit everyone

FROM SOIL TO SIP

Gippsland is a cool-climate wine country, with varying soils and terroir giving each part of Gippsland its own unique flavour. As its name suggests, the Bass Coast is marked by a significant maritime influence, whereas other coastal areas and mainland South Gippsland contain rich red, well-drained volcanic soils and experience reliable rainfall. Consistent rainfall is also expected in West Gippsland but also has generally warmer continental temperatures. Central and East Gippsland have a drier, more Mediterranean climate.

The region’s rich soils produce premium wines that “can be found in leading venues in Australia’s capital cities and on some of the top wine lists globally,” Hicks states. This includes acclaimed aromatic and elegant pinot noir and complex chardonnay – both garnering many awards and attracting global attention. In fact, Gippsland is home to the most expensive pinot noir sold in the United States – a Leongatha-based Bass Phillip pinot noir at more than $1,000 USD a bottle. However, Gippsland not only caters to lovers of the chardonnay and pinot noir variety, but it also produces outstanding riesling, pinot gris and shiraz, as well as lesser-known varieties such as savignan, viognier, sangiovese, grenache, nebbiolo, gamay and gruner veltliner. With new plantings on the way in the Gippsland region by both newcomers and existing wine producers, it is no surprise that we will begin to see new varieties in the future. Hicks adds, “As more of the recent Gippsland vineyard plantings mature, I think we will see more of the region under the spotlight.”

Despite its tiny production volume and low-key profile, Gippsland wines regularly win medals at the top domestic and international wine shows. There are six wineries currently awarded the top 5-stars
from James Halliday. The region boasts recent Young Guns of Wine winners and finalists (2021-2024) and two Halliday Best New Winery finalists (2023). As Gippsland wines continue to expand their national and international recognition, the region
aims to produce more wine to keep up with the growing demand. The issue here is the opposite of the over-supply problem affecting other regions in South Australia and New South Wales. “In fact,” Hicks notes, “demand is so high, and our production volumes so relatively small, many of the wineries in the region will sell out of a current release well before the next is ready.”

VINTAGES NEW AND OLD

The Gippsland wine scene kicked off in the 1970s and there is still a handful of pioneering families making wines commercially from vineyards they started to plant in the late 1970s through to 1990s. These trailblazers tried many varieties before working out what thrived in the region. Much of the wine first produced also reflected tastes at the time – heavy-hitting cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay. Many of the Gippsland wine families have at least one ‘born, bred and returned’ Gippslander who grew up here, moved away for study, travel or career (or all three) and returned to pursue their wine dream, bringing world garnered knowledge and skill to the region. Their success has brought others in their wake, and they have been generous with their support and mentorship.

Affordable land has attracted young winemakers back to Gippsland, where they have been able to buy land and then lease and rejuvenate established vineyards, building their labels and the capital to plant their home blocks. “We have the right climate and soils and, importantly for those starting out, the region still has relatively affordable land. It also offers great lifestyle for young families,” Hicks explains.