Our Wines
Chatueu Mildura’s boutique range of wines are made on a small scale with varieties of grapes from the Mildura region. We employ a unique mix of both old and modern techniques and technology in its winemaking operation.
Small batches of white and red grapes are carefully processed using controlled temperature fermentation and open top fermenters. The Reds are then hand plunged before oak maturation.
Heritage Range
Our Heritage Range of wines are made from the classic grape varieties to produce
easy drinking styles for everyday enjoyment.
History : In 1888 founders of the Mildura Irrigation Colony William and George Chaffey planted 150 acres of wine grapes on their property at Irymple establishing Chateau Mildura. The varieties were Mataro, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, Red & White Hermitage, Muscat Gordo Blanco and sherry grapes.
Winemaking commenced in 1891 with the first crush in a bough shed, 1892 saw the construction of the ambitiously proportioned brick cellars. This initial venture of producing table wines had limited success despite the “Clarets” produced gaining favourable mention. Victoria’s economic crash and following depression later in the 1890s did not help matters and table wine production slowed to a halt.
In 1910 Brandy stills were installed at Chateau Mildura and fortified wine production commenced. The Chaffey’s were also prominent in many other fields of business and civic activity with W.B. Chaffey serving as President of the Mildura Shire and becoming the first Mayor of the Borough of Mildura in 1920.
The Heritage range, names and labels feature some of the Districts Chaffey Bros heritage sites
f the Chaffey Bros heritage sites which remain today and are part of the districts “Chaffey Trail”.
Smuggler Range
The Smuggler Range are classic varietal wines made to exhibit their natural characteristics and to over deliver on quality for their pricing.
History: the excessive consumption of spirits that characterized Australia’s drinking habits of the 1800s generated a strong temperance movement. Although not teetotallers the Chaffey’s established Mildura on temperance principles in the hope that this would attract the best class of settlers with the European tradition of moderate drinking of fine wines in their homes. They established Chateau Mildura to produce wine for such a market but this first venture did not succeed due to a strong demand for ale and spirits. These came into the area from a number of sources, one source mentioned in the book “Water into Gold” published in 1937 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the dried fruit industry was the Smuggler of Psyche Bend.
“A notorious offender was the Smuggler of Psyche Bend. The whole town knew him, and nobody could catch him, Time and time again his little boat left New South Wales laden deep in the water, and came into haven in Victoria in a swamp near the Billabong.”
Today Chateau Mildura is once again producing fine
table wines and “The Psyche Bend Smuggler” is being employed to assist in getting these fine wines onto your table.
Psyche Reserve Range
The Psyche Reserve Range is made by selecting the finest parcels of fruit of Traditional European varieties from the Chateau’s vineyard and crafting them into superb wines with extended maturation in new oak barrels, thereby producing wines that excite the palate and deliver an excellent tasting experience.
History: The naming of significant natural features by Europeans commenced in the area when the first explorers and squatters arrived around 1840. this was enhanced by the advent of paddle steamer river boats on the Murray from the mid 1850s.
By the late 1880s newspaper articles from Mildura were referring to the large sweeping bend located adjacent a large billabong upstream of Mildura as “Psyche Bend”
From the air this bend resembles the Greek letter Psi (symbol for Psyche) and this could be the reason for the bends naming. It was on this bend in 1891 that the Chaffey Brothers located their primary lift pump to pump water and keep full Kings Billabong, this pumping station is known as “The Psyche Pumps”
In Greek Mythology Psyche was the goddess of soul and her story is one of the most fascinating of the legends
Signature Range
Chateau Mildura has released a new signature range of rare varietal varieties to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the first planting of wine grapes on the property in 1888.
Wine varieties used include the Russian Variety Saperavi, and French varieties Carmenere and Petit Verdot, and with carefully chosen names for the special releases including ‘The Bogatyr Saperavi’, ‘The Trobador Carmenere’ and ‘The Troitsa’, you’ll find them hard to resist.
The name Bogatyr was taken from the fearsome warriors of Ancient Russia and in true spirit of its heritage, has undergone extended aging in Russian and Hungarian oak barrels, creating layers of chocolate and rich spice. Its unique aroma has hints of white pepper, bright red fruits, cranberries and a touch of lifted oak, heightened by menthol and toffee apples. A perfect match with game dishes and good hearty fare, with the palate a mouthfilling bright, fresh and bursting with deep dark fruit and satsuma plums. A backbone of pronounced oak lifts the tannins and deeper structures giving great length, texture and an evolving char and cigar finish. Ideal to drink now or cellar up to 10 years.
The Trobador was a composer and performer of lyric poetry during the high medieval period and has been chosen as the name of our signature Carménère wine, a variety originally planted in the medoc region of Bordeaux. It’s aroma of rich sage, thyme, blackcurrant and dark chocolate and palate of intense dark forest berries, rich chocolate and blood orange finishes with a lingering sensation of dry tobacco leaf and velvet tannins. Ideally accompanied with lamb shanks or an osso bucco with risoni, this intense drop is ready to drink now or can be stored in the cellar for up to 10 years.