Mount Majura, Canberra District Leo Quirk

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  • Mount Majura, Canberra District

    Winemaker Dr Frank van de Loo and viticulturist Leo Quirk work hand in glove at the Canberra District’s Mount Majura to make wines from the ground up with a focus on sustainable viticulture that is perpetually modified based on careful observation and analysis. While the regional heroes of riesling and shiraz are lead varieties for the estate, ‘alternative’ varieties are given ample airtime. Tempranillo, in particular, has found a special home on the steep limestone and volcanic rock slope, with single block wines neatly showing the nuances of site.

  • Margan – Ceres Hill Vineyard, Broke Fordwich

    Andrew and Lisa Margan started their eponymous label in 1996, buying their Ceres Hill Vineyard shortly after, which already had some semillon and chardonnay planted (1989 and ’90 respectively). An early interest in less-familiar grapes saw barbera planted, and later albariño, which have become mainstays for the brand. Today, the 12 hectares at the home vineyard are supplemented by other sustainably farmed sites, but it is the core of Margan Wines. It’s also where the popular cellar door and hugely respected restaurant (Lisa is a chef, WSET Diploma holder and has a master’s degree in science and nutrition focused on organics) is situated. The vineyard is currently in conversion to organics.

  • Brokenwood – Graveyard Vineyard, Hunter Valley

    The Graveyard Vineyard is one of this country’s most significant. It’s mature enough, at a little over 50 years, though that’s not particularly old in this country’s oldest winegrowing region, the Hunter Valley. It’s significant for its history, with James Halliday prominent among the three solicitors that first planted it, with the first harvest ferried by Len Evans’ Bentley to the makeshift winery. And it’s significant for what followed, with the Brokenwood ‘Graveyard Vineyard’ Shiraz becoming one of the towering icons of Australian wine. Today, the vineyard has become solely focused on shiraz, with viticulturist Katrina Barry taking the baton of vineyard manager from her father, managing the site with sustainability as a core value.

  • Weathercraft – Jones Ridge, Beechworth

    Raquel and Hugh Jones made their tree change from busy city careers in 2014, buying a Beechworth vineyard and launching their Weathercraft label in 2016. The vineyard had been set up in 1998 for premium wine production. It was a conventionally managed site, but the couple were intent on more natural methods. The shiraz-dominant vineyard has since been tilted towards Iberian varieties, with tempranillo and albariño joining the roster across almost 6 hectares. By focusing on soil health, herbicides, insecticides and pesticides have been eliminated, with natural methods of pest and weed management employed. Once all going to high-end contract clients, the fruit is now all used for the Weathercraft label.

  • Ten Minutes by Tractor – Spedding, Mornington Peninsula

    Ten Minutes by Tractor’s reputation is built on articulating the differences between their four key vineyards with single-vineyard expressions of chardonnay and pinot noir, along with broader regional expressions and separate bottlings that reflect the lower elevation sites as well as higher elevation sites of the Mornington Peninsula. In 2016, they planted arguably the boldest venture for the region, with a high-density planting of pinot noir across just under 1.5 hectares. And while those vines are too young to turn out a single site offering, the early results are creating considerable excitement amongst the viticulture and winemaking teams.

  • Solitude Estate, Yarra Valley

    Greg Kerr’s Solitude Estate may not be a familiar name to many, but its former moniker, Tibooburra Vineyard, will likely ring bells for Yarra Valley enthusiasts. The fruit from the Upper Yarra site is made into wine under Kerr’s estate label but it has also notably contributed to the wines of some of the Yarra’s leading small makers: Gary Mills (Jamsheed), Andrew Marks (The Wanderer), Luke Lambert (Lambert) and Jayden Ong (One Block). While chardonnay and pinot noir are the key varieties, a ’90s roll of the dice on shiraz has also seen the grape star on the 29-hectare vineyard.

  • Seppelt – Drumborg, Henty

    The Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard is a significant one. Home to one of this country’s greatest rieslings, the site in south-western Victoria is also acclaimed for varietal bottlings of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. The very cool marginal climate presents numerous viticultural challenges, but it also positions the site as one for premium fruit and premium wines. With a quarter of a century at the viticultural helm, Larry Sadler employs the collective knowledge of his long-serving team and a close relationship with the winemakers in producing the highest quality fruit across over 90 hectares of vines.

  • Lethbridge, Geelong

    For almost a decade, Ray Nadeson and Maree Collis juggled the demands of establishing and running a vineyard and caring for a young family, while also maintaining careers as research scientists – both have PhDs, in medicine and chemistry respectively. In 2003, Lethbridge became their permanent home and focus, with a vineyard-first approach driving them to implement biodynamic principles (not certified) and pursue soil health through a proactive evolution of their methods to evolve their practices to suit their site. All the wines are made onsite by Nadeson, with the home vineyard the source of all their Estate, Single Block and Reserve wines.

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Lethbridge, Geelong

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