NA ="Ararat, Moyston, Mafeking, Maroona, Willaura,";
FE1[0]=" The Grampians wine region, centred around the township of Ararat, dates back to the 1860’s when two Gold miners suppliers- The Blampieds and the Bests established vineyards at Great Western. Tunnels dug by the Miners found a new u";
FE2[0]="se as cellar forrsparkling wine maturation- A style of wine well suited to the regions rather extreme terroir. A diverse range of table wines is also produced, which includes many wines of real character, and elegance. Some of the";
FE3[0]=" worlds oldest Shiraz vines are here and still bear fruit, whilst aromatic rieslings, complex pinots and newer plantings of less traditional varietals. Strong berry fruit flavours, supple tannins and gentle oak treatment are hallm";
FE4[0]="arks of the wines. Nowhere in Victoria is the link between gold and wine more pronounced, nowhere are the legacies of the nineteenth century miners more impressive - most notably the 1.6 kilometres of underground drives (or cellar";
FE5[0]="s) at Seppelt's Great Western, hand excavated by out-of-work miners after the gold had run out. Another link is the Nursery Block at Best's, planted in 1867 and including grape varieties so rare they have defied all attempts at id";
FE6[0]="entification, and are in all probability the sole surviving examples in the world. It is primarily a red wine area, producing wines which possess a rare combination of elegance and power, and an exceptional capacity to age. Shiraz";
FE7[0]=" is particularly suited to the region, producing finely structured wines with intense regional spice. The nearby Grampians National Park is a Superb area for scenic drives on good roads, native wildlife. Bushwalking and rock climb";
FE8[0]="ing are also popular.";
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LA1[0]=" The countryside is extremely varied, ranging from the full splendour of the Grampians mountains at Halls Gap to the hillsides of Mount Langi Ghiran and Mount Ararat. and then to the more open rolling slopes around Great Western. S";
LA2[0]="pring frosts necessitate care in site selection; water availability is the other principal limitation. The two principal soil types are grey and grey brown loamy sands and clay loam soils which are quite acid; the second group is ";
LA3[0]="a hard yellow soil with structured clay subsoils, also quite acid and needing lime adjustment. Neither group is especially fertile, and unless the pH is significantly increased by the addition of lime and/or gypsum, will militate ";
LA4[0]="against vine vigour and restrict crop levels. Although the region is wedged between The Grampians Range and Serra Range to the west and the Pyrenees Range the region itself is not high at around 350 metres. Vineyards are planted o";
LA5[0]="n slopes receiving plenty of sunshine for their late ripening varieties. The natural beauty, cooler summer temperatures and cellar doors makes this region very attractive for visitors. Harvest time: mid March to mid May.";
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CL1[0]=" In part due to its location bordering the Great Dividing Range, and the higher altitude in the hills, the Grampians region has a significantly cooler climate than those areas to its east (e.g. Pyrenees, Bendigo). The low heat summ";
CL2[0]="ation (only slightly in excess of 1400) is however offset by high ratios of growing-season sunshine hours, and to a lesser degree by moderate relative humidity. The end result is that the region is especially well suited to later ";
CL3[0]="ripening varieties, most especially Shiraz. Altitude and aspect are particularly important, giving rise to significant local climatic variation. Generally rainfall is very low during the growing season throughout the entire region";
CL4[0]=" and irrigation is essential if economic yields are to be achieved. Location: 37°09'S, 142°50'E; Annual rainfall: 590 mm; Mean January temp: 20.2°C; Sunshine hours per day: 8.3.";
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HI1[0]=" The area has spectacular scenery and is rich in Aboriginal culture. The first vines in the district were planted by French settlers in the 1860's. The Ararat Gold Boom came in 1857. It was short lived and sheep farming became the ";
HI2[0]="basis of the town's economy. Today the town is the commercial centre of a prosperous wine growing and farming region. The region is home to Great Western, Australia's best-known sparkling wine brand. Great Western is in fact a tow";
HI3[0]="n on the Western Highway between Ararat and Stawell. Its debut as a sparkling wine region was partly due to its French connections. Anne Marie Blampied, Jean Pierre Trouette whom she married, and her brother Emile arrived from Fra";
HI4[0]="nce in the late 1850s to make their wealth provisioning the goldminers. They established St Peters vineyards. The French connection continued when Charles Pierlot introduced the methode champenoise for sparkling wine production. H";
HI5[0]="e did so at the Great Western Estate established by Joseph Best in the early 1860s. This estate was purchased in turn by Hans Irvine and then Seppelt. Much later came another Frenchman Dominique Landragin who continued as winemake";
HI6[0]="r at Seppelt. While famous for its sparkling wine the mainstay of production is high quality table wine. The region grows Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The white varieties - Ondenc and Chasselas are particul";
HI7[0]="arly well suited to the cool climate.";
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