Wine: Station with a reputation

2007 Yering Station Shiraz Viognier, $32. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Lucky Country. Australia. Big, bold and brash, just like her wines. Well, some of them anyway. Over the last few years there has been a shift from the overly blown and blowsy, head-shattering and teeth-staining reds, especially shiraz, to more refined, sedate and restrained styles that can co-exist with food. It's a welcome change and although not universally embraced, it's working for some of Australia's most prestigious and historic producers. The new mantra is "power with elegance".

This is most evident in one of the country's oldest premier wine-making regions, the scenic Yarra Valley. It has a proud history of winemaking stretching back to the first settlers in 1838.

An hour's drive from Melbourne, the valley is a vast, scenic hinterland with a cool climate and diverse soil types that produce wines of balance, restraint and elegance.

Nowhere more so than Yering Station, a spectacular property with a large state-of-the-art winery and an award-winning restaurant with gorgeous views and food and wine to match.

A reasonable and magnificent helicopter distance from Melbourne central, the grassed landing area is put to good use and the day I'm there, four helicopters wait expectantly for replete diners.

Although Yering Station has a strong focus on pinot noir and chardonnay, its shiraz is sublime. There's also a very smart methode traditionelle Yarrabank Cuvee, which is part of a joint venture with the French champagne house, Devaux.

It hasn't always been table wines however. Fortified wines were a major feature in the past and, in the 1960s, there was a resurgence of plantings, with a renewed emphasis on the current varieties for which Yering Station has built a strong international reputation.

The wines are in the medium to upper end of the price spectrum and invariably over deliver. They can be found in fine wine stores and restaurants with smart wine lists.

Australia, if we didn't know where the hell you were, your best wines would make sure we did.

RECOMMENDED

2007 Yering Station Shiraz Viognier, $32
Sheer class at an affordable price. Mainly shiraz with five per cent viognier, this wine has a rich, deep purple colour, with aromas of lavender and dried flowers. It tastes like crushed raspberries in a glass. Smooth, gentle and lovely.

2008 Yering Station Chardonnay, about $32
Middle-of-the-road mainstay chardonnay, which is distinctly Yarra Valley. Mealy, broad-shouldered, with loads of yeasty nectarine and smoky sharp acidity. This wine tends to be dry and is perfect with white meats.