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The North East Wine Zone of Victoria has a rich history in viticulture with each of the five regions – Alpine Valleys, Beechworth, Glenrowan, King Valley and Rutherglen - all having records of vineyard plantings in their regions since the mid 1800s.
The zone has experienced exceptional growth in recent years, with now more than 235 vineyards comprising total plantings of approx. 3,700 hectares, of which 3,300 hectares are bearing. 15% of the plantings are to 25 different white grape varieties, whilst 20 different red grape varieties account for 85% of the plantings. Currently (2003/2004) the total yield of the zone is approx. 31,000 tonnes of grapes, with an average yield of just over 9 tonnes per hectare.
There are 70 wineries/production facilities in the zone, with a total processing capacity of 29,200 tonnes of fruit and producing 16,319,300 litres of wine. 62 percent of the wine which is produced is packaged in the Super Premium Category (between $10 and $20).
View the full North
East Wine Zone Final Report May 2004 (pdf
format, 464 kB).
Compare these figures with the 1996 figures.
The wine industry in North East Victoria is made up of many small businesses, often family owned and operated. Only a handful of what would be considered large wine companies exist in the area and therefore it is not always acknowledged as the major regional industry that it clearly is. The grape and wine industry has a significant economic impact in the zone, and its contribution to the health and vitality of the whole of the North East rivals many other industries.
The grape and wine industry is now also significantly contributing to tourism in the zone, and cellar doors are starting to play a strong role in developing wine tourism. There is significant potential to further develop this growing tourism sector, especially in light of the scenic geography, and diversity, of the zone, and its proximity to Melbourne.
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