THE SUNRAYSIA EFFECT
Today we’re diving into the heart of what makes Gill Estate wines so special - our region, climate and topography.
Our winery is based in the Murray Darling wine region, in the Sunraysia sub-region. Spanning over 350kms, the Murray Darling region is inland and runs along the Murray River across both North West Victoria and South West New South Wales. The Gill Estate winery sits in the Victorian part of the region. The Murray Darling is the second-largest wine region in Australia with over 16,000 hectares of vines planted, accounting for 17% of Australia’s annual crush.
Our region has been home to more than 40 First Nations for thousands of years. European settlers arrived in the 1850’s for farming. The first vines were planted in 1888, after irrigation transformed the area. Our sub-region Sunraysia was named so after a 1919 competition on behalf of the Australian Dried Fruits Association, in which the public were asked to enter names to describe the dried fruits grown in the Mildura area. The winning name was Sun-Raysed which later lent to the region being known as Sunraysia!
The climate is nearly identical across its vast expanse. It is a hot region, with long sunshine hours, low humidity, and low rainfall during growing season, although being inland the nights are cool. The Continental influence is strong, with high shifts in daily temperature ranges, although these are insufficient to make spring frosts a problem. Dry weather during key growing times and harvest ensures consistent quality. Irrigation is necessary in summer when rainfall is low. Disease pressures are generally low. It is the perfect climate, with rich red fertile soils for production of quality wine grapes. The soil is unique to the Murray River system and is known technically as calcareous earth, ranging from brown to red-brown loamy sand, sandy loam or loam.
The top five varieties grown in the Murray Darling are Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. In recent times alternative varieties such as, Lambrusco Maestri, Barbera, Vermentino and Tempranillo have become more prevalent as they are well suited to the climate. Mildura is the home of the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show.
So next time you're enjoying a glass of Gill Estate wine, remember that you're tasting a little bit of Sunraysia's magic. It's the location, climate and topography that sets the stage for our grape-growing adventure, turning each sip into a journey through the heart of our land. Cheers to sunny vibes and perfect grapes! 🍇🌞🍷