Description
About Vinifera Wines
We love to host dinner parties. My wife Debbie never ceases to astonish me with the dishes she creates and I try to keep up with a selection of great wine on hand. Thanks to our passion for great flavours and even better company, starting our own business was an inevitable adventure.
We planted the vineyard over 20 years ago, however this dream had been an even longer time coming. “Good luck with the vineyard and the cellar door”, I still remember a university classmate wrote in my graduating yearbook. Fast forward to 1994 – past a wedding, a big country move, the birth of our four kids and plenty of taste testing along the way – and I finally made good on my word.
While working full-time locally as a doctor, I signed up to study wine science at Charles Sturt University. Through my studies, Debbie and I quickly uncovered that Mudgee’s environment had striking parallels with Spain’s most famous wine growing region Rioja. In 1994, we planted some of the first Tempranillo vines in Australia along with Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Semillon. The vineyard has continued to mature beautifully and now stretches across 12 hectares producing limited vintages including other striking Spanish reds.
We’re believe that less is more in our approach to wine growing and making. We are committed to producing authentic, terroir-driven vintages in tune with the environment and are proudly certified organic. In fact, look out for the local gardeners when you come to visit – a flock of sheep live amongst the vines keeping them healthy and sustainable.
For many years, our vintages have been produced in collaboration with 2012 Young Winemaker of the Year Jacob Stein. Jacob shares our passion for the perfect drop and has crafted a wide array of award-winning styles with us. We’re always looking to innovate together whilst maintaining the natural charm of each variety.
Nestled amongst the grapevines and next to our family home, we built the Vinifera Wines cellar door. The doors first opened in 2000 and has since played host to many memories, toasts and excellent drops. Come and join us as we make many more of each.
