With its moderate climate, long river and row upon row of Marsanne, Viognier and Syrah vines, Tahbilk is a lovely piece of the Northern Côtes du Rhône. Except that the Tahbilk winery is in the heart of Victoria, Australia - the eucalyptus, acacia and gumtrees around the winery make that very clear, if the 22-hour flight to Melbourne didn’t. 

The Tahbilk winery’s name comes from the Aboriginal phrase tabilk tabilk, meaning “place of many watering holes” and it is the Nagambie Lakes and surrounding wetlands, linked by the Goulburn River, which make this one of the few places in the world outside the Rhône with the right climate for some of these grapes - in particular Marsanne. In fact, Tahbilk has the largest single acreage of this sensitive grape found anywhere in the world. These bodies of water contribute to cooler temperatures which allow a long hang time, during which complex aromatics can develop. The red, sandy loam - unusual for Victoria - has high levels of ferrous oxide which impart a unique minerality to the wines. 

Tahbilk was first established in 1860 amid the sort of wheeling, dealing and apocryphal tales as you might expect from frontier times in the wake...

With its moderate climate, long river and row upon row of Marsanne, Viognier and Syrah vines, Tahbilk is a lovely piece of the Northern Côtes du Rhône. Except that the Tahbilk winery is in the heart of Victoria, Australia - the eucalyptus, acacia and gumtrees around the winery make that...