Bendigo

Bendigo, in the Central Victoria zone, in Australia, is 150 kilometres northwest of Melbourne. The first grapes were planted in the region in 1856 just after the start of the goldrushes, which brought tens of thousands of diggers to the area. With them came their knowledge of food and wine from Europe and by 1873 judges at the Vienna Exhibition said “no Colonial wine can be that good” of Bendigo’s early Hermitage. The majority of wineries are still family-owned and Bendigo’s reputation has been built on its rich, deeply flavoured wines, particularly the extravagant reds from Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, forged on deep soils with spring rain and long hours of summer sun. However, the latter means most vineyards need to irrigate, so as not to stress the vines too much.