History
Bruce and Jenni Chalmers began growing wine grapes in the mid 1980's. Over the years their original Euston NSW vineyard grew to become the most diverse and one of the largest privately owned vineyards in Australia.
The sustainable viticulture techniques Chalmers implemented and refined at this site have been widely taken up by Australia’s warm climate irrigated regions to improve water efficiency and fruit quality using less water and chemicals.
Bruce and Jenni’s vine propagation business, Chalmers Nurseries, was responsible for importing a selection of around 70 clones and varieties that were introduced to Australia in 2000 and have been a major factor in the diversification and improvements in quality seen in the Australian wine industry in the last decade.
In an effort to encourage and celebrate this diversity Bruce Chalmers, along with Stefano de Pieri and the late Dr Rod Bonfiglioli, established the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show in 1999. This show began with only 28 entries and now receives around 600 entries covering 83 different varieties and hosting a series of events which bring together growers, producers and consumers each year in Mildura Vic in November to share their knowledge and experience with alternative varieties.
Since selling the Euston vineyard and nursery in 2008 Chalmers have established two new smaller vineyards in Victoria: one in Heathcote and one in Merbein in the Murray Darling region.
The new Heathcote vineyard, in the northern part of the GI on the Mt Camel range, promises to continue the pursuit of quality and reduction of environmental impact with only drought and heat tolerant varieties being established in the high density, state-of-the-art vineyard.
The Merbein property has been established to what the Chalmers consider to be the three most promising varieties for the future of warm climate viticulture with the remainder of the property housing a source block containing the entire Chalmers collection of imported varieties.
Chalmers is truly a family business as the vineyard operations are overseen by Bruce and Jenni Chalmers with eldest daughter Kim managing the wine business from the vine to the wine list. Daughter Tennille joined the business full time in 2010 after a ten-year career in hospitality, most recently as a sommelier and in 2011 Kim's husband, winemaker Bart van Olphen completed the family team.