OUR REGION, THE
MOORABOOL VALLEY

From the Heart of The Moorabool Valley

Established in 1990, and nestled between Geelong and Ballarat, our estate spans 1500 acres, with 150 under vine. The Moorabool Valley’s small, family-run vineyards provide rich and intense low-yield fruit.

Continental by nature but still moderated by its proximity to the ocean, the region provides perfect conditions to grow world-class wines of full ripeness and beautiful finesse.

A rich history

Sitting on the ocean floor about 20,000 years ago, this land has been reclaimed by millennia of volcanic activity and has given the sub-region its unique terroir with the tough limestone and basalt base.

The terrain sits in a rain shadow which makes the Moorabool Valley one of the most complicated places to make wine, yet it produces some of the region’s best wines, notably, pinot noir.

With a plentiful supply of irrigation and ideal soil conditions, we are rewarded with strong, healthy vines and balanced vine growth, leading to robust, fruit-forward, aromatic wines.

Among the first wine-growing region in Australia

The Moorabool Valley was established as early as 1842 when Swiss immigrants planted some of Victoria’s earliest vines. The valley was ravaged by the terrible pylloxera disease in the 1870s. It was not until the 1950s that the vines were replanted. The Valley’s renaissance began in the 1960s with new plantings at Idyll Vineyard and Del Rios of Anakie. It has since grown to become a thriving wine region, with a high concentration of five-star wineries.

Today, a small band of passionate winemakers embrace the challenge of producing superior cool-climate wines from the tough limestone and basalt base that forms this region’s unique terroir.

The Moorabool Valley:

Mean ripening temperature: 18.2 degrees Celsius

Annual rainfall: 540mm

Average daylight: 12 hours

Elevation: 134m

Soil: limestone and basalt base

Producers of the Moorabool Valley

The Moorabool Valley is located just an hour from Melbourne, Ballarat and only 20 minutes from Geelong and the Great Ocean Road. Set amongst rolling hills, sunken valleys and luscious vines in summer, the Moorabool Valley is proudly home to a large agricultural base with artisanal operators, a long-established winemaking culture, country farmers markets and boutique cafes.

Be pleasantly surprised as you encounter towns with personality, quality wine and food via this ‘en-route’ location to the Great Ocean Road. Plan your trip via the Moorabool Valley Taste Trail, available here.

Along with Austin’s wines, you will find the following wineries in the region.

• By Farr
• Bannockburn
• Clyde Park
• Lethbridge
• Spence Wines
• Moorabool Ridge
• Del Rios of Anakie
• Provenance Wines
• Barwon Ridge
• Paradise IV
• Rowsley Fault
• Pettavel