Dalwhinnie is one of Victoria’s oldest, family-run vineyards that has built an outstanding reputation for its super-premium shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay wines. Hailed by critics and wine lovers alike, Dalwhinnie has been growing grapes for 37 years and is now a fully mature vineyard, producing wines that are distinctive, elegant and full of complex fruit flavours.
A Ballarat architect, Ewan Jones, established the vineyard in 1976 and his eldest son, David, took over its management seven years later. Since 1994, David and his wife, Jenny, have owned and run the 16 hectare property.
It's the kind of stability and continuity of ownership found in the greatest wine estates around the world.
Dalwhinnie occupies a unique position in the heart of the Pyrenees region of Western Victoria, near the village of Moonambel, where it exists as a natural amphitheatre nestled among the ranges.
But it is the hills and sedimentary soils of the Pyrenees – the terroir – which are a vital factor in the vineyard’s uniqueness, according to David Jones.
Noted wine writer and judge, Huon Hooke, agrees with him: “In Dalwhinnie, the Joneses have happened upon that rare but blessed confluence of factors: site, soil, climate, cultivars, viticultural practices and sensitive winemaking. Sit back and watch, as Dalwhinnie etches a name for itself, not only among the great wines of Australia, but the world.”