Bendigo’s winemaking history is almost as old as the region is. The first vineyards of Bendigo were planted in 1855 by Jacques Bladier, Delscher and Jean-Baptiste Loridan. Situated completely inland in Central Victoria, Bendigo experiences a Mediterranean climate with long sunshine hours and low humidity. The summers here are warm and dry, while winters are wet and mild. The majority of the soils in Bendigo are brownish, loamy sand to clay loam soils over a stony clay base. Acidic in nature, most of the soils in Bendigo are treated with application of lime, gypsum and supplementary water. Hence, the wines produced in Bendigo have some particular regional characteristics that cannot be found anywhere else. The red varieties, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, are well suited to this region. With all conditions favourable for these varieties, winemakers are able to produce long-lived wines from both styles. Chardonnay is the main lead in Bendigo’s white wine styles.
