Located in the "deep south" of the Grampians region, the Henty Wine region is approximately 300km west of Melbourne and 500km southeast of Adelaide. Easily accessible from Portland, Warrnambool, and Hamilton, the area is endowed with natural beauty from the rolling redgum-dotted pastures of the north to the dramatic coastline of the south.
The Henty brothers arrived in Portland Bay in 1834 in the schooner “Thistle” and established the first permanent European settlement in Victoria. They also brought the first grapevine cuttings to Victoria, according to the Thistle’s cargo manifest. The Hentys helped to develop southwest Victoria into a renowned pastoral and agricultural region – now an emerging viticultural area which bears their name.
The first commercial vineyard to be established in the Henty region was 100 hectares planted by Seppelts at Drumborg in 1964. This was followed by Crawford River in 1975 and Barretts in 1983. Today there are more than 15 vineyards across the region.
The climate is characterised by cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers followed by a long cool autumn ripening period and grapes in the Henty Wine region ripen later than those in many other wine regions, resulting in aromatic white wines, luscious sweet dessert wines, and intense, finely structured reds. The wine grape varieties which have been most widely planted in the Henty region are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Also to be found are Semillon, Shiraz, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Gris.
The Henty Estate winemaking philosophy is to craft elegant wines with a real sense of place. With a focus on staying true to their values and producing the absolute best terroir-driven wines possible, the young couple at the helm of Henty Estate let the vineyards speak through each bottle of wine crafted. Unconventionally, Henty Estate harvests the grapes when they judge, by tasting, that sugars, tannins, acids — and most importantly flavours — are all optimal.
The vineyard is located 6 kilometres north of Hamilton on older volcanic soils. The vineyard is dry grown and wines are made using traditional methods, including open fermenting, basket pressing and maturation in quality French oak.
Pierrepoint Wines is located at the foothills of Mount Pierrepoint between Hamilton and Tarrington in the beautiful Western District of Victoria. This family-owned and operated vineyard, cellar door and Bed and Breakfast has been a Tarrington tourist stopover since 2000. The vineyard is managed with traditional care, and without the use of chemicals – you’ll see geese, ducks, and chickens roaming free, controlling pests naturally.
The Cellar Door is open seven days. Call in for a delicious platter or picnic to enjoy with a glass of Estate Pinot Gris, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Usually, five wines are available for tasting including a Sparkling Pinot Gris and a Late Harvest Pinot Gris. A range of Henty and Grampians Regions wines also available for purchase. Beautiful lawns and a lake 500 metres away are perfect picnic spots. Outdoor tables dot the lawns surrounding the cellar door, and there is plenty of space to dine in air-conditioned comfort inside too. Sit back, sip a glass of fine wine, and watch the sun shine down on the vines. Relax and reconnect. During March and October Pierrepoint Wines have musicians visit and play on the lawns.
Coming to the Grampians for Father's Day weekend? Don't miss the Seriously Shiraz Grampians Wine Festival! Henty Estate will be representing the Henty Wine region hosting a cellar door pop-up in the Halls Gap HUB on Saturday, 31 August from 10am - 4pm.
Drop-in and meet the friendly winemakers and participate in tastings from Henty Wine region vineyards, Henty Estate, Hochkirch and Tarrington vineyards, Bochara and Jackson Brooke Wines.
