Description
About Craiglee Wines
In 1863, James Stewart Johnston, a prominent Melbourne businessman and member of Parliament, first planted vines at Craiglee. He built an extraordinary bluestone winery into a steep slope near his home, utilising gravity to create an efficient system for making and storing wines. Grapes were brought to the upper level by horse and dray, taken below to be crushed and fermented and fed into barrels in the lowest level of the building, which offered perfect cellaring conditions year round.
Johnston made wines on the site for over a decade and planted a number of varieties, though his 1872 Hermitage (Shiraz) was his most notable wine, winning a number of international awards. His sons continued making wines at Craiglee into the 1920s, when changing economic circumstances and public taste forced a change of enterprise. The paddocks were turned over to lamb production, and the doors to the winery were shut.
Today, Pat continues to make wine from fruit grown, hand-picked and bottled at Craiglee, and is involved in every step of the process (alongside his wife Dianne and the constant companionship of their Border Collies, Bessie and Rowdy). The family-run winery prioritises sustainable practices, using the same bluestone winery that Johnston built 150+ years ago, as well as solar power, waste water and methods that protect soil structure, maintain carbon levels and benefit the surrounding environment.
For over 40 years, Pat’s approach to winemaking has been resolutely founded on a respect for the site’s history, a dedication to craft and a commitment to producing wines that reflect the terroir of Craiglee.
