Top drops

High-altitude wine regions are quietly crafting some of Australia's most graceful and expressive wines

- SAMANTHA PAYNE.

SCATTERED LIKE STEPPING STONES ALONG THE GREAT DIVIDING RANGE, OUR NATION'S cool-climate enclaves benefit from elevation, volcanic soils and the warm days and cool nights that are a feature of sharp diurnal shifts. The result? Wines that feel distinct and precise - bright acidity, fine structure and unwinding perfume that speaks of mountain air and clarity. These five regions remind us that great wine often begins above the clouds, from the citrus tension of Orange chardonnay to the earthy musk of Beechworth gamay.

ALPINE VALLEYS, VIC ELEVATION: 300-600 METRES Nestled in the state’s northeast, this region lies in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, flanked by Beechworth and King Valley. The topography – rolling slopes, valleys and shifting microclimates – makes for an interesting wine map. With more than 30 different grapes grown, from shiraz and chardonnay to grüner veltliner and nebbiolo, the region is driven by curiosity and clarity, the altitude sharpening acidity and building length, while the mountain air distills the fruit into something vivid.