Giaconda. Castagna. Sorrenberg. Beechworth may be Australia’s smallest GI, but it’s home to some of its biggest names. Three hours’ drive northeast of Melbourne, the tiny Victorian region is best known for chardonnay – Giaconda’s 2022 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay was recently named the world’s best white wine – but it also has a reputation for outstanding renditions of shiraz, pinot noir, gamay, sangiovese, roussanne and viognier, among others.
Beechworth’s history stretches back to 1852 when gold was first discovered at Spring Creek. The first vines were planted not long after. Like in other gold-mining towns, the wealth generated by the influx of hopeful prospectors resulted in a thriving local wine industry, which peaked in 1891 at around 30 growers and 70 hectares of vineyards. But what goes up must come down, and the following decades of economic decline and the arrival of phylloxera meant that by 1916 there were just two hectares of vineyards left.
In 1978, Di and Pete Smith planted around three-and-a-half hectares of chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon on a site just west of the township. Initially, all the fruit from Smiths Vineyard was sold to others, and while a portion of it is still sold to producers such as A.Rodda and Fighting Gully Road, Smiths Vineyard has also produced estate wines under its own name since 2003.
Despite not planting vines until 1982, four years after the Smiths, it’s Giaconda’s Rick Kinzbrunner who is credited with initiating the region's modern revival. However, Pennyweight by Stephen Morris – great-grandson of Morris of Rutherglen founder George Francis Morris – and his wife Elizabeth, and Barry and Jan Morey's Sorrenberg can also claim pioneer status. Fighting Gully Road, Castagna and Savaterre, established in the mid ’90s, led the second generation. Adrian Rodda (whose 2023 Baxendale Vineyard Chardonnay won Best Wine of Show at the 2024 Victorian Wine Show), Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown, Traviarti and Weathercraft were among the exciting arrivals from 2010 onwards, and Granjoux, the passion project of Melbourne restaurateur Peter Bartholomew and commercial lawyer Donna Pelka, has been one to watch since their first vintage in 2021.
Today there are just over 30 wineries and around 134 hectares of vines in Beechworth. The region is small but variances in altitude (from 300 to around 1000m) create diverse growing conditions which allow for a wide range of grape varieties to be grown.
Here are 20 wines from Beechworth to try.
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