Mornington Peninsula is one of Victoria's most important wine regions, located an hour's drive south of Melbourne on the southern coast of Australia. It is one of Australia's coolest winegrowing regions and elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines are the main output, a far cry from the full-bodied Shiraz wines the country is famous for.
The region covers the land that sits between Port Phillip Bay and the Bass Strait, creating a peninsula on the southern edge of Victoria. Although there were attempts at serious winegrowing here in the late 19th century, Mornington Peninsula is comparatively new to wine, with commercial viticulture only starting to take shape in the 1970s when a handful of independent producers realized the region's potential. Their success inspired others to follow, sparking a rapid growth in the local wine industry, and Mornington Peninsula received its GI (Geographical Indication) status in 1997.
Mornington Peninsula's location next to Port Phillip Bay and the Bass Strait has a major impact on the local terroir. In fact, the region exemplifies the effects of a cool maritime climate on viticulture. The presence of the water helps to moderate temperatures and stave off frost, and the growing season is much longer than in more inland areas. This, coupled with cooling maritime breezes, helps the grapes retain acidity as they ripen. Mornington Peninsula's reasonably high sunshine hours ensures that grapes have plenty of time to develop concentrated flavors and tannins as well.
Generally, Mornington Peninsula experiences most of its rainfall in winter and spring, and the summers are warm and dry. This works well with the red basalt soils, which store sufficient water to render irrigation largely unnecessary. These soils are the result of ancient lava flows, and are iron rich, moderately fertile, and quite friable, draining surface water easily. This amounts to healthy vines with deep root systems, making high-quality berries that translate into intense, concentrated wines.
Mornington Peninsula's reputation is based on the high quality of the wine it produces from cool climate varieties – especially Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Other aromatic varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Gris and Viognier are also grown here, and cool-climate versions of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon quite unlike those from other parts of Australia are also made.
