Murray Darling Region

Location

One of two Regions that are located in two Zones and two States, the other being Swan Hill.

Zone - North West Victoria
State - Victoria

Zone - Big Rivers
State - NSW

Map Reference
Latitude 34 degrees and 07 minutes South
Longitude 142 degrees and 07 minutes East

Elevation
50 - 100 metres above sea level

Subregions
Nil

Introduction
Along the giant Murray River the dry red sand and underdeveloped growth of grass has been transformed into a giant vegetable and fruit garden. The country is boringly flat and the distances are vast. Only by flying above the Murray you can gain a real perspective of the extent of the achievement. Most of the grapes are sold to a few extremely large wineries; the wineries have the entire atmosphere of a petrol refinery. This is not the glamorous face of winemaking; it is simply the most efficient and economical way of making wine.

The dependability of the weather and the rich yields all reduce the cost of producing grapes to an absolute minimum. In the dry air, diseases seldom appear, and the maintenance of a healthy vineyard is simplified.

The Murray Darling and Swan Hill Region officially form part of the Big Rivers Zone of New South Wales and the North West Victoria Zone of Victoria, the only two Regions that under the new legislation falls within two Zones and two States. The Murray Darling is responsible for growing approximately 40 percent of the annual Australian crush.

Primary Grape Varieties

New South Wales total of White and Red = 1200 ha
Victoria total of White and Red = 5885 ha

White

New South Wales:

Sultana 750 ha
Muscat Gordo Blanco 250 ha
Chardonnay 140 ha

Victoria:

Sultana 3400 ha
Muscat Gordo Blanco 955 ha
Chardonnay 875 ha
Colombard 250 ha

Red

New South Wales:

Red Shiraz 60 ha

Victoria:

Shiraz 215 ha
Cabernet Sauvignon 190 ha

Primary Wine Styles

Chardonnay
The most likely grape of the region to find its way into bottles, value for money is paramount. The wines have fruity generosity and softness that in Australia consumers takes for granted, but export markets value highly. Most of the other white and red wines are likely to end up in wine casks.