A wonderful week at the Heathcote Wineries

With a new and very demanding job I had taken on last year, and having moved house twice within 11 months, I needed a rest - Away from the city, from having to constantly be available and clutching multiple job-related tech devices, and away from the noise. (Can you tell that I was feeling a bit stressed?) And I only had one week to make it happen, too short a time to fly to Europe and do what I love doing so much: travelling in Italy’s countryside, drinking good wine and just enjoying the simple pleasures of life. And then it hit me.

Heathcote was only 80 minutes drive away and offered many similarities to the environment I was dreaming about without having to go on a long trip. So, on a sunny Friday afternoon, I packed my bags and was on my way to Heathcote and its charming wineries and renowned wines.  

I had booked a room at Domaine Asmara, a winery with a bistro and an adjacent Bed & Breakfast in the heart of Heathcote. Coming from Melbourne and following the Hume Highway it’s about 20 km past the Heathcote Township. Follow the Northern Highway towards Elmore and then turn right into Gibb Road. Here the warm hospitality of owners Henni and Andreas and their son Benjamin greeted me. Henni is originally from Indonesia and met her husband Andreas, quite an adventurous German as I later learned, in her home country before they came to Australia. “Asmara” is Indonesian for” Love and Passion” and this is indeed reflected in all their attention to the small details that make their guests feel so comfortable. I settled into my lovely spacious and bright room with a comfortable king size bed for the duration of my week’s vacation and started to relax.

My days started each morning with a lovely English breakfast on my beautiful verandah.  I looked across the vineyard facing Mt Camel and Mt Pleasant in the distance and leisurely enjoyed the meal while deciding my route for the day. 

My only requirements in terms of the decision-making process? - No set program, no time restrictions, no stress. And so every day I crisscrossed the scenic countryside through rolling hills, along eucalyptus lined roads and picturesque vineyards with stops at some of the nicest Heathcote wineries. I met some of Heathcote’s welcoming artisan winemakers, learned a thing or two about wine making, listened to their interesting stories, tasted some of the best wines ever, and had delightful little lunches and dinners in quaint courtyards and rustic bistros. I enjoyed every single minute of my Heathcote winery tours.

Three of the many highlights of this week were my trips to Tellurian, McIvor Estate and the Heathcote Wine Hub.  It’s amazing what you find out over a few quite reds, about the winemakers and the history of the winemakers.   I got to know so much more than you get to hear at a busy wine festival.  Some of the standouts are below.

Stefani Estate’s story is lovely.  It is located at the start of the Mt Camel ranges north of the Great Divide. The owner, Stefano Stefani comes from the rolling hills of Tuscany (here we go – the first connection that reminded me of my favorite holiday destination, Italy) His grandfather had owned a vineyard in Italy and was an avid collector of fine wines. Stefano came to Australia in 1985 and continued in his grandfather’s footsteps. He started out with a property in Yarra Valley and completed his Heathcote winery in 2003. Together with winemaker Mario Marson they produce an excellent Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon but I also loved their whites, a lovely Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. They even have an olive grove! On 9 hectares adjacent to the vineyard they grow varieties of Picual, Frantoio and Leccino olives and produce a heavenly rich extra virgin olive oil. 

Galli Estate turned out to be yet another great Heathcote Winery with Italian roots. Lorenzo Galli was also born in Tuscany and came to Australia in the 1950’s to make his vision of producing outstanding wines come true. And indeed he succeeded. In the last eight years Galli Estate has collected an amazing number of awards. Over 16 trophies, 22 Gold, 40 Silver Medals & numerous Bronze medals.

And then how can you go past Heathcote and not experience Wild Duck Creek, a winery about 8km west of Heathcote.  Steve at the Heathcote Wine Hub gave me a taste of their flagship  Springflat Shiraz, which was exceptional and you can see why it has received so many great praises from Robert Parker and James Halliday over the years.  I tried a couple of different vintages and each was rich, intense and velvety and simply tasted wonderful.  They also had a Cab Blend and ‘Little Whit Duck’ viognier which were both devine. Wild Duck Creek is a small family run winery where traditional winemaking methods are still very much fostered. Hand-picking, open fermentation, hand-plunging, basket-pressing, and long-term barrel-ageing are still used.

I could go on and on, but one thing’s for sure, this was the best and most relaxing week I have had in a long time and I’ve promised myself that the Heathcote wineries won’t have to wait too long to see me again.

Wineries of Heathcote – A Splendid Mix of History, Passionate Winemakers and Amazing Wines

As it so often happens in life, something starts out one way and ends up in a completely different place… Who would have thought that a region located at one of the richest gold deposits in the world would, about 100 plus years after the gold rush, be renowned for producing some of the best wines in Australia? And who, if you follow the history of many of the wine makers in the region, would have thought that such a diverse set of people could turn Heathcote and its wineries into a place that is now arguably in the top 1 or 2 regions for Australian Shiraz? 



The Wineries of Heathcote resemble indeed a most interesting collection of winemakers. There are those with a traditional wine making background, who have built wealth outside of the wine world and then cashed it in to follow their passion and start their own winery, there are those who simply fell in love with the region and stayed, and also the vineyard owners who began to make wine simply so they could drink the kind of wine they loved! – An exciting new generation of winemakers who have one thing in common: A never-ending love story with their wines and a warm hospitality that is generously extended.  Welcome to Heathcote!

Situated at the North of the Great Diving Range, and affectionately called “Shiraz Heaven”, this is the region where dedicated winemakers attentively nurture their vineyards to produce, in addition to the signature wines of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, the most interesting bottles of Grenache, Viognier, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Marsanne.     

Heathcote boasts over 100 wineries and 30 open cellar doors, and it’s well worth taking the time to visit a few of them. Tucked into rolling hills, you will find inviting little boutique wineries and large scenic vineyards with vine stock as far as the eye can see.  Some Heathcote wineries offer accommodation, ranging from simply bed and breakfasts to luxury cottages with private pool, while at others you can stop and enjoy a nice meal together with your favourite bottle of wine.

You might want to start with the most southern winery in the Heathcote region. Barfold Estate produces elegant, powerful and complex red wines made from small-berried fruit on low yielding vines with minimal intervention. Craig Aitken, owner of Barfold Estate is a good example of a different but obviously very successful kind of winemaker. Craig spent 37 years as an IT specialist before he and his wife Sandra, now a viticulturalist, turned into winemakers and brought in their first crop in 2002: Barfold Estate 2002 Heathcote Shiraz won three medals including Gold at the Ballarat Wine Show, and their 2003 and 2004 Shiraz wines have been rated at 93 points in James Halliday's Wine Companion.

Your next stop could be Wild Duck Creek Estate (home of the famous Duck Muck), a small family-run winery located about 8km west of Heathcote, alongside the Wild Duck Creek.  Ask for their award winning Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and treat your taste buds to an exceptional experience by having a taste of the Wild Duck Creek rarities from exceptional vintages.  As to the origins of Wild Duck Creek Estate? It’s very nicely summarized on their website: “Our humble origins date back to 1971, with the purchase of our first Heathcote property for $6,000! Since then, the adventure that is wine-making has brought with it a unique blend of sweat and tears, friendships, humorous tales, bizarre inventions, and of course, breathtaking wines.        

Driving further north, you will reach Jasper Hill, another good example of Heathcote’s diverse wineries. Established in 1975 by Ron and Elva Laughton, Jasper Hill’s wines are exclusively made from estate-grown grapes based on organic and biodynamic principles. To support a greater bio-diversity they use special techniques, among them, inter row mulching and self made organic compost. The result? As vines are grown on un-crafted root-stock and are non-irrigated, the grapes, including Riesling, Grenache, Vioignier and Nebbiolo, bring out the unique flavours and characteristics natural to their variety and terroir.  As Robert Parker from the Wine Advocat put it: “Whether it’s down to this very special rift of dirt or not, these wines are simply incredible.”?

And then there is Stefani Estate. Stefano Stefani comes from the rolling hills of Tuscany where his grandfather owned a vineyard and was an avid collector of fine wines. Stefani Estate is a family owned boutique winery that produces elegant wines including an excellent Merlot and a very popular Shiraz. Hand-picked grapes and lots of attention to detail ensure wines that consistently receive high praise. Following more of his Italian tradition, 12 years ago Stefano planted olive groves on 9 hectares of land adjacent to his vineyard and today, a rich Stefani Extra Virgin Olive Oil with intense flavours is on offer.

These are just a few examples of the Heathcote Wineries and their great products. The list could go on and on, but don’t take our word for it. Come down to Heathcote, drop into the Heathcote Wine Hub and find out for yourself…



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