South West Victoria, home to the outstanding Henty Wine Region covering a large area extending from the Hopkins River across to the South Australian Border. Rich in natural beauty and spectacular sights, this region is gifted with red gum scattered paddocks in the north and a dramatic coastline to the south. With one of Australia’s coolest climate wine region, Henty experiences wet winters and warm, dry summers followed by a cool autumn causing grapes to ripen much later than in many other wine regions. With plenty to offer, The Henty Wine region is certain to satisfy any wine lover.
The Henty hugs the south-western corner of Victoria and spreads from Nappa Merri Wines outside of Warrnambool to Wando Lodge eight minutes from Casterton. The region includes the areas first settled by the Henty Brothers, believed to have brought the very first grapevine cutting to Victoria. Arriving in Portland Bay in 1834 by the schooner “Thistle”, the brothers established the first permanent European settlement in Victoria. Owned by the Henty Brothers and captained by James Liddell, the “Thistle”, according to its cargo manifest, ferried the enthused members of the Henty family back and forth between the Swan River, Port Lincoln, Portland and Launceston. The Henty’s helped to develop the south west into a renowned pastoral and agricultural region that today is a developing viticultural area which bears their name.
The grape varieties that have been widely planted in the region include, but are not limited to: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Semillon, Shiraz. Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris can also be found throughout this extraordinary region where wines are commonly elegant, long-lived and well composed with a fine natural acidity. The Henty region takes tasters on a journey to treat the tastebuds and soothe the soul, indulge in aromatic whites, finely structured reds and lusciously sweet dessert wines.
The First commercial vineyard to be established in the region was planted by Seppelts at Drumborg in 1964 and was spread over 100 hectares. Seppelt planted grape varieties for sparkling wine which resulted in delicate, aromatic drops that to this day are still in production. Seppelts played an important role in the ground breaking development of Australia’s winemaking, leading the way in the art of cool-climate wine growing. Spurring interest, this was followed by Crawford River in 1975 and Barretts coming along after that in 1983. Today there are more than 15 vineyards across the region calling Henty their home.
Explore all the Henty Wine Region has to offer and sample premium quality wines while enjoying the beautiful scenes of the countryside. With an excellent reputation, wines can not only be enjoyed at the cellar doors but at leading regional restaurants, cafes and liquor stores.
Want to learn more about the Henty region and all its incredible counterparts? Speak to a local on 1800 807 056 or connect with us digitally at visitgreaterhamilton.com.au to read more about the Henty Wine Region with our blogs ‘Talking Henty Wines With Martin from Bochara” and “5 Minutes With John Nagorcka From Hochkirch Talking Biodynamic Wines”
