The old gold-mining town of Beechworth in north-east Victoria, Australia, is not short of character, as you can see from this picture of its main street. It's a small town but attracts many visitors. Much is made of its links with the outlaw Ned Kelly, who spent a stint in the town's prison when the town was in its heyday. But today wine is an increasing draw for visitors, as I pointed out last year in Beechworth and other exciting Australians.
In August I had the chance to taste a selection of current Beechworth Chardonnays and I was extremely...