Vagabond Explores: A Glass-by-Glass Journey Through Victoria
If you’re shivering your way through another British winter and bracing for the Ashes chatter to start up again, we’ve got a much friendlier Australian export for you: wine. Not the sun-baked, blockbuster stuff you might expect, but the cool-climate, sea-breezed, high-altitude styles of Victoria; Australia’s small-but-mighty wine state with over 600 cellar doors and five wildly different wine destinations, all orbiting the cultural magnet of Melbourne.
We’re pouring a handful of Victorian bottles exclusively in selected Vagabond bars, and only while stocks last. They aren’t on our DTC shop; they’re here simply to be discovered by the glass, one region at a time.
Yarra Valley: Cool-Climate Classics and Chardonnay Dreams
Most great wine regions start with a good story. The Yarra Valley begins in 1838 and ends in a swirl of world-famous chardonnay, pinot noir and restless innovation. Take the Soumah Savarro Savagnin; bright, crisp, Alpine-fresh, the kind of wine that clears the fog from a December morning. Or the Oakridge Hazeldene Chardonnay, rich and layered, proving exactly why the Yarra built its global reputation on texture and finesse. And if you want something sweeter than victory at The Oval, the Soumah Late Harvest Viognier brings honeyed, exotic richness without ever feeling heavy.
Pinot Coast: Where the Sea Teaches Grapes to Chill
Travel south and the air shifts. The Mornington Peninsula sits right on the Pinot Coast, a 750km stretch where pinot noir and aromatic whites thrive in the cool coastal breeze. The Port Phillip Estate Quartier Pinot Gris is Mornington at its best: floral, gently salty, fresh enough to remind you that other people’s December involves beaches.
Shiraz Central: Gold Rush History, Cool-Climate Spice
To the north, the landscape gets wilder; volcanic soils, old mining towns and vineyards bathed in hot days and cool nights. This is Shiraz Central, and it’s home to some of the most elegant, spicy Australian reds out there.
Ben Haines sends two absolute characters: a Syrah full of pepper and dark fruit, and a textured White Blend that dips into the orange-wine world with citrus skin and gentle grip. In the Pyrenees, Earthscape Franc shows what Cabernet Franc can do when it’s raised somewhere that takes both sunshine and patience seriously. And then there’s Heathcote’s cult hero, Momento Mori Staring at the Sun, hazy, apricot-skinned and a reminder that Australian winemaking can be as experimental as anywhere in the world.
Strathbogie Ranges: High Altitude and Pinots With Personality
Last stop: vineyards perched on granite and swept by cool winds. The Fowles Are You Game? Pinot Noir is vibrant and lifted, a high-altitude take on pinot that keeps things bright, crunchy and lively.
Victoria is a state built for discovery: five distinct wine destinations, hundreds of cellar doors, and winemakers who seem to enjoy pushing boundaries almost as much as they enjoy fermenting grapes.
These wines are our little introduction... poured only in selected Vagabond bars and only while stocks last. None of them are available through our online shop, so if one catches your eye, come grab a glass before it vanishes.
And if the British winter (or the cricket) starts getting you down, remember: somewhere in Victoria it’s 28 degrees and someone’s drinking chardonnay on a deck with a view of the ocean. Might as well join them, at least by the glass.
