Climate

The Grampians region in Western Victoria, which includes the township of Great Wester,, 218km west of Melbourne, was first planted to vine in 1863. Located on the fringes of the Great Dividing Range, the Grampians region has a significantly cooler climate than those areas to the east, warming to the north-west. Although the Grampians region is primarily a red wine area, its cool, dry climate has helped establish the region as Australia's first for sparkling wines. High sunshine hours during growing-season and moderate relative humidity help offset the relatively low heat, making the region well suited to later ripening red varieties, particularly Shiraz. The low level of rainfall, however, has attributed to the disappearance of old, low-yielding vineyards.

The region is extremely varied with a series of low-angled sandstone ridges running roughly north-south and spectacular ridges on the western side of the Grampian Mountains, where the sedimentary layers have faulted. Spring frosts and the limited water necessitate great care in site selection. Soil is not especially fertile, and unless the pH is significantly increased by the addition of lime and/or gypsum, vine vigour and crop yield will be affected. There are two principal soil types: acidic grey and grey brown loamy sands and clay loam soils; and acidic hard yellow soil with structured clay subsoils, often requiring lime adjustment.