White Magic

Victorian chardonnay.

Victoria is home to some of Australia’s great chardonnays. The state has many regions where chardonnay flourishes, plus a culture of top winemakers making the best wines possible from this variety.

In a quest to produce more refined and sophisticated drops, many of these makers have been paring back the inherent fruitiness of chardonnay and introducing more savoury elements. The result is wines with many layers to their personality. This makes them incredibly interesting to drink, as well as exceptional partners to food.

The style of wine made from chardonnay can differ widely between regions and producers. And there’s an extra layer of diversity at the local level, with producers bottling small parcels from individual vineyards.

It’s fascinating to see wines made from the same variety, in the same region, by the same maker, that are completely different from one another. That’s because each vineyard has its own distinct microclimate and soil profile, and sunlight, wind, altitude and temperature can all affect the flavours that develop in the grape. The clone planted can also have significant impact on the character of the resulting wine.

Stonier Wines, located on the Mornington Peninsula, specialises in single-vineyard wines. Look out for its beautifully restrained Jimjoca Vineyard Chardonnay, $38, with fresh cream and citrus flavours, and the refined, complex Gainsborough Park Chardonnay, $45.

Cool-climate viticulture is the secret to Victoria’s success with premium chardonnay. Flavours sit in the lemon and grapefruit sphere, with restrained stone-fruit flavours in the milder zones. In the north, meanwhile, the hot, dry climate of the Murray-Darling region produces large volumes of generously flavoured and affordable wine.