The world-renowned Yarra Valley was Victoria’s first major wine-growing district, with the first vines planted in 1838 at Yering Station. Today it is home to passionate and innovative winemakers, making exciting wines with energy and freshness, including some of Australia’s finest cool-climate Chardonnays.
Bordered on the north by the Great Dividing Range and the Dandenong Ranges to the south, Australia’s Yarra Valley is home to green hills and misty valleys and helps set the benchmark for Australian cool-climate wines. It is one of Australia’s coolest regions and the range in altitudes, from 17m to 1338m, help to create unique microclimates throughout the region.
Join us to learn more about this vast yet varied region with Yarra Yering’s Sarah Crowe, Yering Station’s Brendan Hawker and internationally acclaimed author and journalist Max Allen as they discuss the region’s on-going love affair with Chardonnay.
Featured wines:
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De Bortoli Regional Reserve Chardonnay 2019
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Yering Station Chardonnay 2019
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Soumah Hexham Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
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Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
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Yarra Yering Chardonnay 2018
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Yeringberg Chardonnay 2018
Speakers
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Max Allen
Max Allen is the wine and drinks columnist for the Australian Financial Review and Australian correspondent for JancisRobinson.com.
Max is a two-time winner of the prestigious André Simon Memorial Award: in 1998 with his first book, Red and White, Wine Made Simple, and again in 2020 for his latest book, Intoxicating, Ten drinks that shaped Australia.
In 2011 The Future Makers: Australian Wines for the 21st Century was named Best International Wine Book at the Louis Roederer Wine Writers Awards; in 2013 Max was awarded a State Library of Victoria Creative Fellowship; in 2016, he was inducted as a Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival; in 2018, he was named Wine Communicator of the Year.
Max is currently an honorary fellow in history and teaches wine studies at the University of Melbourne. He is working on a number of book projects.
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Sarah Crowe
After studying and working in Horticulture, Sarah began her wine career with vineyard work in the Hunter Valley. Within three years, and completely unplanned, she had become an Assistant Winemaker. Sarah broadened her experience by completing International harvests in both Oregon and the Rhone Valley, becoming an active wine show judge and completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Viticulture.
The lure to Yarra Yering prompted the move to the Yarra Valley to focus on one single iconic vineyard site. Sarah considers the Yarra Yering vineyard to be the best she has ever worked with. The 2014 vintage wines saw her named James Halliday’s Winemaker of the Year 2017 and Sarah was a finalist for Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year 2019.
Now in the role of Winemaker and General Manager, Sarah continues to build on the iconic legacy and excellent international reputation of Yarra Yering.
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Brendan Hawker
Brendan describes his beginnings in wine as somewhat unorthodox. Growing up in the Adelaide Hills, wine was always a point of interest for Brendan. Some of his fond childhood memories include the local weatherman covering the much-anticipated vintage conditions each season. Brendan’s journey into the world of winemaking began during a gap year post high school. “The decision was entirely based on how interesting and diverse I believed this exciting industry to be. And it was certainly the right choice; I hit the ground running with enthusiasm and have never looked back.”
Now at the helm as Senior Winemaker, Brendan leads the long-serving team in an exciting new chapter of our storybook. “There is a legacy of quality here at Yering Station, specifically at top end of our range, which I intend to always respect and maintain. That being said, my style of winemaking is focused on elegance and purity of fruit, so I’ll also always be doing my best to not get in the way of the how the vineyards want to express themselves.”
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