Pyrenees (Victoria)
| Wine region | |
Vineyards near Avoca, viewed from the Pyrenees ranges
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| Type | Australian geographical indication |
|---|---|
| Year established | 2000 |
| Years of wine industry | 1848–present |
| Country | Australia |
| Part of | Western Victoria |
Coordinates: 37°6′59.49″S 143°18′48.82″E / 37.1165250°S 143.3135611°E
The Pyrenees is a wine producing region centred on the Pyrenees ranges located in Victoria, Australia near the town of Avoca.
The Pyrenees Ranges are at the southern end of The Great Dividing Range with altitudes ranging from 300 to over 750 m (approximately 980–2460 ft). Main peaks in the range include Mount Avoca (747 m) and Mount Warrenmang (537 m).
The explorer and surveyor Thomas Mitchell was the first European recorded to have travelled through the district on his 1836 journey of exploration. The ranges reminded him of the Pyrenees in Europe where he had served as an army officer, hence the name he gave them. He found the area more temperate in climate and better watered than inland New South Wales, and he encouraged settlers to take up land in the region he described as "Australia Felix".
Vines were first planted in the region in 1858. Several wine growers produced and sold wine in the region in the late 1800s and early part of the twentieth century. The pioneer of the region Edwin Horatio Mackereth had his vineyard sold to a dairy farmer in 1929 by his descendants. Another early producer Kofoeds survived until 1947. The 1960s saw the re-establishment of vineyards in the area by Nathan & Wyeth in conjunction with the French Cognac producer Rémy Martin planting grapes in 1963. The official planting ceremony on 1 June 1963 included Victorian Government Minister for Lands, The Minister of State Development and Avoca Shire President. Since the 1970s the region has been a significant producer of full-bodied red wines based on Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varieties.
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