Centennial Vineyards – Southern Highlands, NSW
Centennial Vineyards, jointly owned by wine professional John Large and Mark Dowling, covers 133ha of beautiful grazing land, with the vineyard planted to pinot noir (7.13ha), chardonnay (4.5ha), pinot gris (4.06ha) and smaller amounts of riesling, pinot meunier, albarino, tempranillo, grüner veltliner and gewurztraminer. Centennial purchased the 8.2ha Bridge Creek Vineyard in Orange to meet the challenge of the Southern Highlands’ capricious weather. – James Halliday
4.5 ★ winery | centennial.net.au | Halliday profile
Domaine Naturaliste – Margaret River, WA
“Bruce Dukes is wholly talented, and while he makes high-quality acclaimed wines for his own estate – Domaine Naturaliste – he also does this for a raft of other, smaller producers in Margaret River and Geographe. His winemaking style is one of fresh, pure fruit over obvious or intrusive winemaking artifact, and the wines routinely possess a polish and eminent drinkability,” says Erin Larkin. You can visit Bruce’s own cellar door, Domaine Naturaliste and perhaps bump into the man himself. It’s open daily from 10am–5pm and offers a relaxing space to really taste wine, with seated wine flights being the house speciality.
5 ★ winery | domainenaturaliste.com.au | Halliday profile
Duxton Vineyards – Murray Darling, NSW
Duxton Vineyards is the large-scale wine arm of the asset management company, Duxton Capital, which specialises not only in equities but agriculture and hospitality venues. To date, it has bought 2500ha of established vineyards across the Murray Darling region in NSW and can crush up to 70,000t of fruit since buying the old Stanley winery at Buronga in 2019. Production includes bulk and bottled wine to be sold nationally and internationally along with Pete’s Pure Murray Darling and Rewild of Murray-Darling labels, a Dan Murphy’s exclusive. The wines are easy drinking, made for today and budget-friendly. – Jane Faulkner
3 ★ winery | duxtonvineyards.com.au | Halliday profile
Riversdale Estate – Southern Tasmania
One of Southern Tasmania’s largest Tasmanian family-owned vineyards owned by Ian and Wendy Roberts. The vineyard is tucked away behind Mount Pleasant in the Coal River Valley and on the waterfront of Pittwater Reserve, a bay that pushes in from the Southern Ocean. The vineyard is nurtured by the youngest of the Roberts’ sons, Rainer, and you will find him actively working on the land with his father Ian on a daily basis. On the 60ha farm you can enjoy the beautiful cellar door and French Bistro styled restaurant that boasts magnificent views of Pittwater, whilst indulging in award-winning wines. A quick 10 minute drive from Hobart Airport or 20 minutes from the CBD, a grand experience awaits you at Riversdale Estate.
4.5 ★ winery | riversdaleestate.com.au | Halliday profile
Tumblong Hills – Gundagai, NSW
This large vineyard was established by Southcorp Wines in the 1990s, as part of ‘Project Max’, an initiative to honour Max Schubert of Penfolds Grange fame. In 2009 it was acquired by business partners Danny Gilbert, Peter Leonard and Peter Waters. They were able to secure the services of viticulturist and general manager Simon Robertson, who knew the vineyard like the back of his hand, his experience stretching across the wine regions of Southern New South Wales. In 2011, investors Wang Junfeng and Handel Lee came onboard to strengthen Tumblong Hills’ presence in Australia and China. While shiraz and cabernet sauvignon remain the two most significant varieties, nebbiolo, barbera, sangiovese and fiano are increasingly important. Exports to China. – James Halliday
tumblonghills.com | Halliday profile
Victory Point Wines – Margaret River, WA
Located north of the Margaret River township, Victory Point vineyard was planted by the Berson family in 1997 and has never been irrigated. The now 25+ year old vines are producing extremely high quality fruit which truly reflects the vintage and site conditions each year. The stunning cellar door overlooks the entire vineyard and visitors can taste current vintages as well as some museum wines in this peaceful environment. Victory Point's range consists of rosé, chardonnay, cabernet malbec and cabernet sauvignon, as well as small batch, single variety wines: petit verdot, malbec and pinot noir.
5 ★ winery | victorypointwines.com | Halliday profile
Voyager Estate – Margaret River, WA
Voyager Estate is a second-generation family-owned estate in Margaret River, Western Australia. Established in 1978, their heritage vines reflect the unique qualities of the Stevens Valley, with its undulating slopes, warm summers and cooling maritime breezes. Their ultimate ambition couldn’t be simpler – to craft wines that do justice to their extraordinary climate and soils with their elegant and balanced chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons. Their vineyards have been farmed sustainably for decades, and the conversion to organic farming and pathway to certification started in 2017, with the first certified organic grapes harvested in 2020. This process was completed in 2023, and the entire vineyard is now officially Australian Certified Organic.
5 ★ winery | voyagerestate.com.au | Halliday profile
Whispering Brook – Hunter Valley, NSW
"It took some time for partners Susan Frazier and Adam Bell to find the property on which they established their vineyard over 20 years ago. It has a combination of terra rossa loam soils on which the reds are planted, and sandy flats for the white grapes. Multiple trips to Portugal have inspired the planting of Portuguese varieties, including touriga and arinto, alongside Hunter staples, shiraz and semillon. The partners have also established an olive grove and accommodation in the large house set in the vineyard, offering vineyard and winery tours." – James Halliday
5 ★ winery | whispering-brook.com | Halliday profile
Zerella Wines – McLaren Vale, SA
In 1956, life’s daily struggles in Campania, Southern Italy, forced two poor families to search for a better future. Led by two men, Francesco Zuzolo and the late Ercole Zerella, the two families migrated to South Australia. They embraced all they knew, life on the land, a passion for farming, grape growing and winemaking. The late Vic Zerella, (son of Ercole) followed in his father’s footsteps becoming an icon of the South Australian farming, produce, viticulture and wine industries. Embracing his ancestors’ passion for the vines along with their ambitious nature, work ethic and spirit of entrepreneurship, Jim Zerella founded Zerella Wines and has taken it from strength to strength. Adhering to organic and biodynamic principles and certified sustainable, Zerella Wines have a strong focus on mediterranean varieties, also celebrating some McLaren Vale staples like grenache and shiraz across the range. The Zerella Wines recipe is tradition, innovation and a truckload of passion.
4 ★ winery | zerellawines.com.au | Halliday profile
