CHAMPIONS
OF TERROIR
Our producers share a common cause: be they owners, growers, makers or a blend thereof, they are all custodians of some of Australia’s most remarkable sites. They – like us – celebrate the distinctive regions where their wines originate: champions of terroir.
NSW
COURABYRA
TUMBARUMBA
Courabyra is the dream of vignerons’ Cathy and Brian Gairn. They planted Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Muenier in 1993 in deep decomposed granite soils of the New South Wales Snowy Mountains at 720 metres elevation.
Long elevage Sparkling wines are Cathy’s primary focus with a minimum of four years secondary fermentation in bottle, ten plus in exceptional vintages . As well as this, a small selection of still wines are made showcasing Tumbarumba’s unique and diverse cool climate.
GILBERT FAMILY
ORANGE / MUDGEE
In his former life, Simon was a chief winemaker for industry stalwarts like Lindemans Padthaway, Arrowfield and Rouge Homme. These days, his attention is focused on crafting small-run, aromatic whites from some of the highest and coolest sites on Oranges' Mount Canobolas, one of Australia’s most consistently outstanding rosés, and earthy reds from the warmer climes of Mudgee, in NSW's Central Ranges. His son, Will, has recently returned home to help with winemaking duties and has become a driving force for further innovation, experimentation and attention to detail in the winery.
HART & HUNTER
HUNTER VALLEY
Formed in 2009, Hart & Hunter is the creation of Damien Stevens and Jodie Belleville, gatekeepers of some "great patches of dirt."
The pair source outstanding parcels of fruit from unique Hunter sites to create bright, primary, elegant wines that, in true Hunter tradition, focus on Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz.
A small batch project – the Black Series – is in the mix too, with innovative takes on Fiano, Chenin Blanc and ‘75 Days Chardonnay.’
Vinden WINES & the vinden headcase
HUNTER VALLEY
Established in 1998, Vinden Wines is now under the guidance of second generation viticulturist and winemaker, Angus Vinden. Since taking reins of the family property is 2015, Angus has tread a careful line combining his modern and youthful approach to the business, whilst preserving the legacy his father Guy created before him.
Meticulous viticulture, a gentle approach to winemaking and respect for the land and Hunter traditions, result in a mixture of both modern and traditional Hunter Valley styles. Angus was also named a ‘Dark Horse’ winery watch, in the 2018 Halliday Wine companion.
SA
DAVID FRAnz
BAROSSA VALLEY
David’s earliest memory of his winemaking journey was being told by his father (the great Peter Lehmann) that he must first understand the origins of great wine: the vineyard. So began his career, as a vineyard labourer. Since, David's learnt and honed his craft with the utmost respect for the sites and vines he tends.
Dave does things a bit differently to many others in this region, and pushes the boundaries of technique and style. The results are truly original wines that carry his signature flare.
DubStyle
MCLAREN VALE
DubStyle is the adventurous creation of Inkwell’s Dudley Brown and Dr Irina Santiago-Brown. Riffing on the Jamaican musical style of dubbing (creating a second version of a track with the vocal removed for remixing), the pair create ‘dub’ wines from some of McLaren Vale’s best vineyards. Grapes are chosen for their fresh texture and flavour, and fermented wild at Inkwell, to produce delicious new tracks.
Inkwell
MCLAREN VALE
"Fruit ripeness is the magic moment when increasing sugars and decreasing acids in fruit reach an optimal balance of flavours. Inkwell's goal is to capture that magical intersection.”
Inkwell, under the impeccable guidance of Dudley and Dr Irina, produce what many consider ‘modern McLaren Vale wines’: estate-only wines with no additions, made from meticulously grown fruit, picked early. Their Shiraz, Primitivo, Viognier and Cabernet all demonstrate great tension, structure, intensity and purity.
PULSE
LIMESTONE COAST
Pulse is a collaborative effort between Andrew Jamieson, Ned Goodwin MW and producers crafting eminently gulpable wines of fidelity to place and a sensitive sleight of hand. In essence, the right grapes grown in the right places, with minimal messing about.
VIC
dalla mia finestra
YARRA VALLEY
Dalla mia Finestra's evolution has been a natural development, which began from a long-standing fascination with wine, and a love of the picturesque Yarra Valley.
The first Finestra vines were planted by Bruce and Jo-Anne Lang in 1989 on the same gentle-northerly slope as the adjacent Yeringberg vineyard. After years of tending the vineyard and soaking up advice from friend Dr Bailey Carrodus the first estate wines were produced in 2003 once the vines were fully ready.
The approach at dalla mia Finestra embraces low-intervention viticulture and winemaking; producing small quantities of wine with a focus on quality.
Eddie McDougall
KING VALLEY
Eddie (AKA the Flying Winemaker) makes wine on five different continents, but the core range comes from the cool climate King and Alpine Valleys in Victoria’s high country. These wines sing an Italian tune true to Eddie’s great passion: Sangiovese.
Even Keel
MORNINGTON & CANBERRA DISTRICT
Vigneron Sam Coverdale believes that great wines are grown not made, and is passionate about creating elegant wines of great interest and complexity that truly reflect their region and vintage.
Even Keel celebrates the strengths of Australia’s leading wine regions in NSW and Victoria, with a small production of genuine, refined wines made from special parcels of fruit grown in regions best suited to specific varieties.
Holly's garden
WHITLANDS
Dirty juice, old wood, lots of solids and funk are the hallmarks of Holly's Garden wines.
Growing at 750 metres in the deep volcanic, mineral-rich soil of the Whitlands High Plateau, Holly's Garden is the creation of wine and wagyu legend, Neil Prentice, who brings us layered Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir with great structure and perfume, and Sparkling from a seven-year-old solera of base wine.
Moon
NAGAMBIE LAKES
Grown on the banks of the Goulburn River, MOON Wines have developed something of a cult following, and justifiably so.
Little, if any, intervention is key to the pure, savoury, layered wines that Greta Moon and Mike Boudry produce. Never fined, and rarely filtered, these are wines with weight, structure and complexity.
MoonDARRA
GIPPSLAND
From the hand of Neil Prentice, Moondarra Pinot Noir is concentrated, funky and masculine, bursting with personality and character. The north-east facing vineyard is dry grown and close planted in the rich, free draining soils of the Gippsland Mountains Rivers district.
‘..after Kathleen’ combines Picolit, Fruliano and Gin Gin clone Chardonnay to create a textural, unfiltered white field blend. Nebbiolo also features, when it's warm enough for it to ripen.
Polperro Estate
MORNINGTON
Polperro is winemaker Sam Coverdale’s premium single vineyard label from Red Hill in the Mornington Peninsula.
Reflecting Sam’s belief that great wines are grown not made, the Landividdy Lane and Mill Hill Pinot Noir, Mill Hill Chardonnay and Polperro Pinot Gris perfectly embody the art of wine growing, rather than winemaking.
SALO
YARRA VALLEY / HAWKES BAY (NZ)
salo n. /sar-low/
Dirty, uncouth, a wee bit slutty
Created by two great minds in Victorian winemaking, Steve Flamesteed and Dave ‘Bro’ Macintosh, Salo wines are gritty, textured and packed with personality. Steve and Dave use techniques that lie well outside the textbook approach to winemaking; resulting in complex, provocative and excitingly modern drops.
Simão & CO
RUTHERGLEN
Simon Killeen has two goals for Simão & Co; to produce Australia's best vintage fortifieds and craft captivating table wines from the best sites in Victoria's north-east. He has the attributes to succeed. Brought up in Rutherglen, Killeen learnt his lessons and honed his craft around Australia, Portugal and France. A yearning for home lured him back to Victoria to found Simão & Co in 2014.
A keen student of history, Killeen's passion for the land, respect for tradition, restless mind and pioneering spirit all combine to ensure Simão & Co is set for a long and exciting future.
WA
Cloudburst
MARGARET RIVER
Situated in Margaret River’s Wilyabrup sub region, Cloudburst is the labour of love of Will Berliner, producing exceptionally detailed expressions of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec, from his minuscule vineyard. Behind the intensity, elegance and power of Cloudburst wines, is Will’s very deliberate ‘hands off’ approach; close planted, dry grown, organically managed and with zero mechanisation or synthetic input, nature is given the space to bear fruit as intended
TAS
Haddow & Dineen
YORKTOWN
Haddow & Dineen is a collaborative winemaking project from cheesemaker Nick Haddow, of Bruny Island Cheese, and winemaker Jeremy Dineen, of Josef Chromy.
The duo aim to make small batches of intensely Tasmanian wines, with grapes sourced solely from a tiny single vineyard in Yorktown near the mouth of the Tamar river. Haddow & Dineen wines are made to the ethos of ‘maximum consideration,’ rather than 'minimal intervention.
