Canberra District

Fast facts

• Best known for shiraz, riesling, pinot noir and chardonnay.
• Covers an area between Canberra in the ACT and Yass in NSW.
• Canberra is 291 km (3.5 hours’ drive) south-west of Sydney.

Why go there

The Canberra District - which includes a large area centering on Yass - is a small but exciting wine region, full of boutique wineries and passionate winemakers. There is a concentration of wineries around Murrumbateman as well as a growing number to the north and south of Lake George.

The climate in Canberra is cool by Australian standards, with the lower elevations able to ripen varieties such as cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, and the higher elevations being among Australia’s coolest, well suited to varieties such as riesling and pinot noir. Chardonnay consistently performs well in the continental climate, although Clonakilla is proving that shiraz has exceptional potential.

Grapes were first planted in the area in the 1850s near Yass, but the district began to produce wine in earnest when the first two commercial vineyards, Clonakilla and Lake George, were planted in 1971. Today the region has 33 wineries with cellar doors and 140 vineyards, and produces more than 2 million bottles of wine annually.

Don’t miss

• The best varieties - shiraz, riesling and pinot noir.
• 34 cellar doors in the region
• Regional foods such as wine grapes, wheat, trout, cod, organic vegetables, raspberries, strawberries, apples, stone fruits and olive oil.
• Local attractions - Canberra Wine Tourism Centre, Wee Jasper Caves, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Bungendore Wood Works Gallery and the famous markets at Hall.

Food and wine events

• Canberra District Wine Harvest Festival, April
• Fireside Festival, August
• Wine, Roses and All That Jazz Festival, November