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Macedon Ranges Wine Region

Part of Melbourne's dress circle of wine regions

This wine region is just to the north of Melbourne. It is not as well known as other regions in the Port Phillip Zone such as the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula but the Macedon Ranges wine region is well worth a wine tour.

Alternative whites at Mt Towrong in the Macedon Ranges

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The major geographic feature is Mount Macedon. It is the most prominent feature on the northern horizon from most parts of Melbourne and rises to just on 1000m.

Towns in the Macedon Ranges GI include

Lancefield and Romsey to the East;
Gisborne, Woodend, Kyneton, Malmsbury and Taradale along the Calder Highway which bisects the region
Daylesford and Trentham to the West.

These towns act as commuter satellites to the city of Melbourne, but each is developing as a tourist attraction in its own right as cafes, restaurants, gourmet food outlets attract visitors and a range of quality accommodation options entice them to stay.

The altitude of the vineyards in the Macedon Ranges varies between 300-700m. Thus this region includes some of the coolest vineyards on mainland Australia are in this region.

There are marked variations in the microclimate, with the northern sections of the region being quite warmer than the southern higher sites. The renowned Shiraz regions of Heathcote and Bendigo are immediately to the north.

Detail of De Long Wine Map of Australia showing the Macedon Ranges Wine Region. The full map shows all of the all of the GI regions In Australia. Click for details.

Wines of the Macedon Ranges

View over the vines at Granite Hills Winery in the Macedon Ranges Region

With the cool climate it is no surprise that Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown here for sparkling wine as well as table wines. Riesling is also grown successfully here, in fact some of the highest rated Riesling in Australia are produced in this region but curiously they are rarely written about or discussed.

Among alternative varieties Gewurztraminer is the most popular. Quite a few wineries have started to use Pinot gris. Alan Cooper at Cobaw Ridge has had great success with the Italian red variety Lagrein. Other wineries are starting to use Italian varieites.

You can read this article about how the first commercial plantings of Lagrein in Australia were made here.

Macedon Ranges Producers and wine Varieties

Attwood Wines Nebbiolo
Birthday Villa Vineyard Gewurztraminer
Cobaw Ridge Lagrein
Gisborne Peak Lagrein
Granite Hills Gamay, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Tempranillo
Hanging Rock Tempranillo
Hunter Gatherer Vintners Prosecco, Sangiovese
Kangaroo Hills Tempranillo, Lagrein
Kyneton Ridge Nebbiolo
Lyons Will Estate Gamay
Mount Charlie Winery Malbec, Tempranillo
Mount Franklin Estate Dolcetto, Nebbiolo
Mount Macedon Winery Gewurztraminer, Meunier
Mount Towrong Barbera, Fiano, Garganega, Lagrein, Nebbiolo, Negroamaro, Prosecco, Sangiovese, Verdicchio, Vermentino
Musk Lane Fiano, Nebbiolo, Nero d'Avola
Place Of Changing Winds Marsanne
Silent Way Gewurztraminer, Marsanne

Updated 21 October 2023

This list shows those wineries closely associated with the Macedon Ranges and the alternative varieties that they are using. In some cases wineries in this region have vineyards in neighbouring regions so some of the entries above are not strictly representative.

Visiting the Macedon region

See this article about an alternative varietal themed tour of the Macedon Ranges region.

It is quite feasible to visit the wineries in this region via a day trip from Melbourne, however there are many tourist attractions, restaurants and cellar doors that warrant a longer stay.

You can investigate the accommodation options in the Macedon region using this hotel booking comparison service.