At a glance:

• Swiss and German pioneers

• First wave growth

• Enforced hiatus

• Second wave growth

Swiss and German pioneers

The story of the Geelong wine region begins back in 1842, when the first tiny vineyards were planted by Swiss and German settlers in the Barrabool Hills.

First wave growth

By 1869, there were more than 400 hectares of vines in the area and 116 vineyards, making Geelong Victoria's largest winemaking district. With the bustling city of Geelong at its heart as a thriving hub for exports, the region began to earn a name for itself both at home and abroad.

Enforced hiatus

There are still vines growing nearby that described site on the Barwon today, but that is another story entirely for in 1875 all the vines in the Geelong region were destroyed by order of the Government. The phylloxera vine aphid, bought into Australia on vine cuttings from Europe, was found on vines at Fyansford near Geelong and, in a state of panic, the government ordered the total eradication of vines in the region.

At its height, the Geelong wine region was undoubtedly on a par with the Yarra Valley, in both size and reputation, which made it one of the largest and most important in Australia. But by 1900, grape growing and winemaking were nothing more than a distant memory in Geelong.

Second wave growth

Buoyed by the sheer good quality of their fruit - the soils and climate were ripe for grapes - vignerons eagerly extended their vineyards during the 1960s.

During the 1980s and '90s, the steady growth in the region continued with vineyards planted around Geelong and further afield on the Bellarine Peninsula, the Moorabool River valley and Mt Anakie, the Barrabool Hills and the Otway region around Colac. Today, there are around 250 hectares under vine.

The renaissance continues. Despite an enforced 80 year hiatus, a second wave of inventive and talented vignerons are slowly-but-surely showing why those trailblazing immigrants were such a hit 140 years ago. They have indeed reclaimed their seat at the table alongside Victoria's celebrated wine regions.