Sunbury Wine Region
Across the strikingly beautiful countryside around Melbourne are some of the major wine-producing regions in Australia, many within an hour, to an hour and a half of the city. However, you barely need to leave Melbourne to experience the Sunbury wine region. Just 10 minutes north of Melbourne airport, Tullamarine, along the C743 lies Sunbury, one of the state's best kept viticulture secrets and well worth discovering.
Though the plains beyond Tullamarine Airport are flat and drier, prone to cold and the soil is poor and dark, they produce very different wines to other regions of the state. Sunbury has produced some fine historic wineries - and wines - since the industry was first established in the nineteenth century. Even though there was a considerable break in production, this industry north of Tullamarine, scattered with small, predominantly family-owned vineyards and wineries, is now vibrant and productive.
Chardonnay and shiraz are the major grapes throughout, with pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon making a presence. The wineries produce exciting ranges of European-style flavours, specialising in refined chardonnays and spicy shiraz. Visit historic Goona Warra, Craiglee or Andraos Bros, or the newer wineries of Galli Estate and Wildwood Vineyard.
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