Northwest of the metropolis of Melbourne lies the small area of Mornington Peninsula, which is one of Australia's real "cold climates," as is the area of Geelong, located southwest on Port Phillip Bay. Viticulture took place here only sporadically because of the cool climate, and sometimes it disappeared altogether. The real birth occurred in 1948, when the famous Seppelt company became interested in vineyards here.
In the 1980's the number of wineries increased continuously. Both regions belong to the clearly cool climates of the continent, perhaps even to the coolest. This has made the regions highly interesting for winemakers for several years, so that by now a piece of vineyard costs a lot of money.
Winds from different directions provide cooling and the influence of the sea also regulates the temperatures downward. The soils are very diverse, sometimes consisting of mellow brown earth, sometimes of especially permeable clay, and sometimes of deep, fertile substrate of volcanic provenance.
The grape varieties grown are those typical of and suitable for cool climates, such as Chardonnay, Riesling or Pinot Noir, but in suitable locations also the varieties typical of Australia; Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon or Sémillon.
