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Our Philosophy

Exceptional grapes create exceptional wines.

From the beginning, our focus is to grow high quality wines, in harmony with the environment. Farming sustainably with low yields, allows our end client (Little Engine Wines) to bring concentrated and ripe flavour to every glass. Our team farms our vineyards year-round, ensuring that the quality of what we produce improves every year, alongside our commitment to stewardship.

The Ground

The rules are simple. Give the earth good things, and she will give you good grapes.

We are stewards of the land, ever burdened with the responsibility of caring for our little pieces of paradise. We use over 320 tonnes of compost annually, encouraging organic materials in our soil is key to its longevity. Between rows, we plant cover crops which aid in natural weed and insect control and also help with soil stability. Currently our plantings of Sweet Elysium, Clover and Braco Mustard, Wildflower Mix and Lacy Phacelia also attract friendly pollinators. In addition to cover crops, all weed control is manually done by hand, we never use herbicides or sprays.

Living the Vine Life

Our stewardship extends to the vine and ultimately, what consumers are putting into their bodies when drinking our wines.

We farm for low yielding crops, providing our end client Little Engine Wines with wines that reveal concentrated flavours, but this also helps in reducing the need for spays. We typically drop about 40%-50% of our grapes, this happens throughout the growing season. This process allows the vines to focus their energy on ripening the remaining fruit. Lower yields, combined with thoughtful canopy management encourages airflow which decreases the risk of mildew and other fungal growth. Naturally arid; the risk of mildew and rot is low in the Valley, and we use organic sprays to assist in our vine management. Watering is done via drip irrigation, targeting water to the root system is the most effective way of water sustainability. Our Winemaking and Viticulture Teams proactively plan watering times for physiological vine growth, ensuring the use of this resource is fully optimized.