Yarra Valley Wine versus French Wine, Who Wins?

The Yarra Valley is one of the most respected wine regions in Australia; you’ll find it in Victoria, just 25 km north of Melbourne. Wine here is world class, as grape growers and winemakers are some of the most passionate and better prepared in the industry.

As with any other New World wine region, Yarra Valley’s wines are forever fated to be compared with the more prestigious French wines. Although today France has lots of competition in the fine wine department from all corners of the earth, they’re still a benchmark for many; they’re the man to beat.

This is how the Yarra Valley compares to the French Burgundy region. Here’s a spoiler — they’re more similar than you might think!

The Land, the Climate and the People 

The Yarra Valley, in the latitude 37°S is considered a cold region and it’s better adapted for growing grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Actually, both grapes make nearly 70% of the region’s vineyards. The land is home to 160 wineries working 2,150 hectares of vines.

Burgundy is colder in comparison, in the latitude 47°N and it’s also paved with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. The French region has four times more vineyards planted with around 8,000 hectares of vines only in the Cote d’Or, and its home to a whopping 3,200 winemaking Domaines.

The climate in Yarra and Burgundy might be similar, and so are the grapes, but Burgundy is massively larger. Luckily, in wine, size doesn’t matter.

What does matter is expertise. Winemakers have only one chance to learn about their vineyards a year, and the first vines were planted 180 years ago in the Yarra Valley so we a true contender.

What about the taste?

Burgundy might be older and more extensive than the Yarra Valley, but although both regions specialise in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the styles are different to each other.

If you enjoy tart fruit flavours, earthy aromas, lower alcohol levels and higher acidity, then Burgundy might be for you.

If you like fruit-forward wines, ripe fruit aromas and a richer mouthfeel, with high levels of alcohol then the wines from the Yarra Valley are for you.

A few fun facts

• Yarra Valley wine labels are easier to read than French labels.
• Australian wines, in general, provide more information about the wine than their French counterparts.
• French Pinot Noir can be amongst the most expensive and collectible wines on the planet.
• French wineries, like the acclaimed Moët & Chandon, have set up shop in the Yarra Valley.

Visit the Yarra Valley

To know more about the Yarra Valley and its wines you must visit, Chauffeur Drive Private Winery Tours, Melbourne Yarra Valley has been taking wine lovers since 1991.

Your personal driver can surely tell you why the wines from the Yarra Valley are amongst the best in the world.