Wine Region	Bendigo, Victoria
Wine Maker	Sergio Carlei
Turner’s Crossing Vineyard is located in Bendigo, an historic wine-growing region in Central Victoria, Australia. The vineyard is located on the banks of the Loddon River, at Turner’s Crossing, a popular ford used by local farmers in the mid to late 1800s. For well over a century the ranges of Central Victoria surrounding Bendigo have been home to some of Australia’s greatest wines. The first grapes were planted in the region in 1856, just after the start of the massive gold rush. The gold rush brought tens of thousands of hopeful diggers from around world, many of whom had extensive knowledge of the wines and foods of Europe. Their knowledge combined with the exceptional quality of Bendigo fruit, yielded wines of such distinction that the judges at the 1873 Vienna Exhibition were heard to exclaim of Bendigo’s early Hermitage (Shiraz) that “no Colonial wine can be that good!” The tradition of great wines in Bendigo continues, as evidenced by the accolades in the press and the numerous awards at wine shows throughout Australia. The 103 acres of vines at Turner’s Crossing are planted on well-drained red sandy clay loam topsoil. The subsoil is red light-medium clay, containing limestone pebbles. There is minimal use of chemicals and pesticides are not used at all. Vines are spur pruned and bud numbers are calculated to allow low yields. The Turner’s Crossing vineyard is planted with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier.