Wine-growing area (GI) north-east of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria (Port Phillip zone). The Yarra Valley is one of the few valleys in Australia that truly deserves this designation. Between the rolling hills of the Great Dividing Range and the Christmas Ridge, it stretches over a length of 20 kilometres from west to east. Viticulture has been practised here since 1838 and was mainly established by immigrants from Switzerland. Of particular note is Charles Hubert de Castella (1825-1907) from Neuchâtel, who founded one of Australia's first wineries in 1863, St. Hubert's, which still exists today. His direct descendant Damien de Castella works at the Yarra Ridge winery today.
In the 1920s, the winery began to decline because it was not producing enough for the market. In the first half of the 20th century, sheep farming was practised on a large scale, the after-effects of which still benefit the soil today. The low point in viticulture was reached at the end of the 1960s, when only just over one hectare was under vines. Since the beginning of the 1990s, there has been a major upswing. The vineyards now cover around 900 hectares again. The red wine varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec (Cot), Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz (Syrah) are grown, as well as the white wine varieties Chardonnay and Riesling. The climate is one of the coolest and wettest in Australia.
Sparkling wines are also produced on a large scale. The French champagne house Moët et Chandon founded the Domaine Chandon in 1986 (there are domains of the same name in many countries). Other well-known producers in the Yarra Valley are Coldstream Hills, Diamond Valley Vineyards, Eyton on Yarra, Lillydale Vineyards, McWilliams, Mount Mary, Oakridge Estate, St. Huberts, Seville Estate, Tarrawarra, Yarra Edge, Yarra Ridge, Yarra Valley Hills, Yarra Yarra, Yarra Yering and Yeringberg.
