Wines & Vines

Before European colonisation and the advent of industrialised agricultural practices, the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin nation lived here. They cared for swathes of land around what is now referred to as the Mornington Peninsula.

As custodians for thousands of years, the indigenous population managed the territory in harmony with the rotations of the sun and the change of seasons. They understood nature’s rhythms and invested in the environment’s long-term prosperity – what we might now call 'sustainability’.

When we established the vineyard in 2004, our aim was to make fine wine imbued with the essence of the soil and honouring the respect for the land held by those who came before us.

We introduced sustainable agricultural practices to the existing St. Neot’s Estate vineyard and its vines. Planted in the 1980s, these are some of the oldest vines on the Peninsula.

No harmful chemicals are used on the property, giving the flora and fauna of the area the opportunity to thrive. We mulch around our vine base and use milk or a copper-sulphur composite to control powdery mildew. It might sound strange, but it works. And since 2017 Staindl Wines has been bio-dynamically certified by the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia.

If you’ve ever visited the Mornington Peninsula, you’ll know it’s a very special place. It has the perfect climatic and geological conditions to make some of the best wines in Australia.

When we choose our site at Red Hill, we recognised it as a great cool climate location with nutrient-rich soil and cooling maritime breezes that would help us to emulate the Burgundian viticulture style we admire.

The elevated ridge the runs the length of the Peninsula’s spine allows our vines to sit on a slope with an East-North East aspect, catching the morning sun and with a clear view to Phillip Island. The altitude brings cooler evenings which help lengthen the ripening process. Slow ripening allows the fruit to build flavours, bringing the fine perfume, the delicate, red fruit and the length on the palate that we look for.

Much like the inspiration for our wine-making style, we looked to Burgundy for the layout of our vineyard. French trellising of vines is far denser than Australia’s - up to five times as dense. Emulating the European technique, our canes sit low, at 1m off the ground, and the trunks are more closely packed in.

Working on metre-high vines is sweaty and back-breaking work. However, it is a labour of love and the French insist this viticulture produces the best results. We’re inclined to agree. Each vine vigorously competes with its neighbours for nutrients, resulting in smaller berries and a smaller crop, but with more intense flavours.

Further still, we do not irrigate. Our experience tells us that irrigation alters the specific attributes of the vineyard, which define the character in the wine. The challenge is to keep the vines in sufficiently good health to survive even the driest periods. Happily, the friable and sandy loam layers atop the clay level at the vineyard allows the tap roots to access water below ground.