Mornington Peninsula, Australia

When I think of Australia the first grape that comes to mind is naturally Shiraz. I have been selling wine in the United States for nearly thirty years, and I continue to learn new things every year. In this year, I learned that there is incredible Pinot Noir produced in south Australia, not the area I had been led to believe I should look for it. I had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks in the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria, Australia in February, and I got to walk vineyards planted to vine with Pinot Noir. Though the climate is warm, as I expected, the ocean allows for cool mornings and evenings that are temperate enough to allow the Pinot Noir to thrive. Most of the vineyards I visited had been planted to Pinot Noir in the 1980’s, and the distribution is largely to the local communities, including the neighboring large market of Melbourne. I have seen some publicity of late in the United States as the region is definitely going to experience a growth spurt in global demand. I have yet to see these labels in my community, but I urge those of you who are interested to keep your eyes open for these wines in the near future. They will be reasonably priced for the first few years, but we know that Pinot Noir tends to get really spendy, really fast as a region develops more pedigree.