The Yarra Valley is one of the coolest wine growing regions in Australia. It lies near the metropolitan city of Melbourne, which is increasingly trying to grab the valley with its land claims. However, since the Yarra Valley is a significant factor in the Australian wine industry, attacks in this regard have mostly been fended off. The valley is one of the oldest wine growing regions on the fifth continent. In 1837, William Ryrie immigrated to the valley, settled there and began growing grapes and raising cattle. As he commissioned a Swiss emigrant to take care of the vineyards, Swiss emigrants also played a special role in the development of the valley in the following period. The climate in the Yarra Valley is relatively cool, with temperatures roughly between those of Bordeaux and Burgundy. At the same time, the climate is quite humid, especially when the first rains begin in the autumn during or after harvest. Not only does this climate allow for the production of more elegant and less heavy wines than elsewhere in Australia, the humidity can also lead to an infestation of the grapes with the noble rot: Botrytis cinerea at the right time, which allows for the production of high-quality, noble sweet wines. The soil is mostly gray loam, but sites must be chosen carefully because the valley floor is too marshy for viticulture, and the mountains are too cool at the top. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir play a major role here, producing wines of Burgundian style. At the same time, they are also grown to produce high class sparkling wines, following the example of Champagne. Shiraz wines in the Rhone style come from warmer locations.
