The Jancis Robinson Story | Mission Blind Tasting | Wine writing competition

It never rains but it pours

The Goulburn River spilled over its banks, flooding the vineyards at Tahbilk.

Floods and drought collide in eastern Australia.

The last time the cellars flooded at Mitchelton was 1974, just after the new showpiece winery in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley opened.

‘I have a newspaper clipping from the time’, says Mitchelton co-owner Andrew Ryan. ‘The flooding this year was much worse.’

In October 2022, after months of incessant rain across the catchment, the swollen Goulburn River burst its banks, inundating much of Mitchelton’s vineyards, flooding the vast cellars underneath the winery, lapping at the luxury hotel built on-site a few years ago, resulting in AU$5 million in damage.

Many works in the valuable...

Become a member or log in to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 295,849 wine reviews & 16,109 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Access askJancis, our AI wine assistant
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors

Everything in “Member”, plus:

  • Early access to the latest wine reviews, 48 hours in advance
  • Early access to the latest articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 295,849 wine reviews & 16,109 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Access askJancis, our AI wine assistant
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade

Everything in “Professional”, plus:

  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
  • Access to submit wines for review
  • Offer memberships to your employees and manage them from a single place
  • API access available for an additional fee
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Max on Oz

Project 5255 vintage 2022 winemakers
Max on Oz In South Australia, giving away grapes turns out to make good business sense. Above, winemakers involved in Project 5255, vintage...
Australia 2023 total crush by grape colour
Max on Oz This column marks ten years of Max Allen’s contributions to JancisRobinson.com. His first regular article, on Australia’s next generation of...
Screwcaps
Max on Oz Do screwcaps preserve wines during a glorious evolution, or stunt their development? In 1977, when Clare Valley winemaker Andrew Mitchell...
Grosset in BD vineyard
Max on Oz The vineyards, and wines, of Mount Horrocks and Grosset have been revolutionised, much to Jeffrey Grosset's surprise. Stephanie Toole lifts...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Ried Kellerberg in autumn
Wines of the week Summer dreams in a limy, zesty white wine from Austria, from €9.90, £18.37, $19.99 . Above, the Kellerberg vineyard, one...
Diemersdal winemaking team
Tasting articles Great buys available in the UK and farther afield – including some naturally lower-alcohol wines. Above, left to right: Reon...
Alder Springs vineyard
Tasting articles Some of California’s most exciting wines are coming from a vineyard far from any other. Above, Alder Springs vineyard (credit...
WWC26 post-submission graphic
Free for all Great pairings – so many to choose from! A big thank you to all from Team JR. This year’s wine...
Judges for Chardonnay Icons at 2026 London Wine Fair
Tasting articles Australia, and England, triumphed at this year’s blind tasting of icon wines at the London Wine Fair. The wine professionals...
Poggio di Sotto vineyard
Tasting articles If you appreciate wines that reflect vintage and terroir, the top 2020 Brunellos are well worth buying. Above, the Poggio...
Wine & War book cover
Book reviews A reminder of wine’s power to restore humanity, humour and hope in times of conflict. Wine & War The French...
Kullabergs Vingård © Terra Skåne/Jan Kivissar
Free for all According to Star Wine List, a guide with more authority than most. Above, food and wine mavens gather at Arilds...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.