Heathcote winery reviews
Check out wineries in the Heathcote wine region, independently reviewed by wine writers Ben Canaider and Ralph Kyte-Powell.
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Sitting high on a slope overlooking a vast panorama of pasture, forest and timeless stands of eucalypts, Barnadown Run is well worth the short detour from the highway for the view alone. The smartly designed contemporary winery is a fine place to get a taste for a range of big-flavoured Heathcote wines. The reds are worthy regional styles and chardonnay works well here too.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Set in gently rolling hills with views across Mount Ida and the Mount Camel range, this compact winery is fronted by the Heathcotean Bistro, a comfy little place serving food with big city flair, using local produce and home-grown fruit, vegies and nuts as much as possible. It has a well-chosen regional and international wine list. Theres a corner for produce and handcrafts, and the cellar door is in the small working winery. Well balanced, top quality shiraz and cabernet-merlot star, with sangiovese an interesting understudy.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Not many country towns can boast a winery in the main street, but at Heathcote it's a part of the scenery. Situated in the old 'Thomas Craven Heathcote Stores' ca.1854, the cellar door has been revamped in the original Victorian style, and now hosts an art gallery as well. The wines are good and some are perhaps more European in style than other Heathcote offerings. The flagship Curagee Shiraz boasts a little white viognier to add fragrance and complexity. While the other shiraz reds are more conventional they drink well, and whites from chardonnay and straight viognier are worth trying.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Leigh and Johanne Hunt run a small cellar door just to the north of Heathcote; their wines are assured and complex, and attract a very loyal following of cellar door and mail order customers. Cabernet sauvignon highlights the sorts of complexity and purity Huntleigh are capable of. Shiraz is smoky and meaty; its fruit power matching the new and used American oak treatment well.
Ben Canaider
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Situated right on the best Heathcote vineyard strip, it has a timeless feel emphasised by the simple, stone-floored, baltic pine tasting room, rustic homestead and outbuildings. The reds made from shiraz and merlot are right in the potent regional mainstream, and chardonnay is promising. Demand, particularly from export markets, can exceed supply here, so the wines can be hard to find in metropolitan areas.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Follow a long driveway meandering past Sheoak Hill, alongside vineyards and olive groves to find this beautifully sited, substantial vineyard. Looking across
Mount Ida and distant ranges, its a peaceful place to visit. Small batch, old-world winemaking techniques fashion powerful shiraz and quattro, a substantial blend of four Bordeaux grape varieties. Both are grand additions to Heathcotes library of flavoursome reds, and Tempranillo is an interesting addition to the range.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Stephen Shelmerdine has been a significant figure in the story of modern Victorian wine, so its not surprising that his new label is one to watch. The Shelmerdine Heathcote vineyards (there's also a Yarra Valley one) are situated in one of Australias best shiraz regions and the reds show great promise. The foothills country around these vineyards is very beautiful too.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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