Peace of mind for a boutique vineyard.

Bindi Wines, based 50 kilometres north-west of Melbourne in the Macedon ranges, is the family property of the Dhillon family.

Originally purchased in the 1950s as part of the larger grazing farm ‘Bundaleer’, ‘Bindi’ is a 170 hectare farm of which 7 hectares are planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Fifteen hectares are dedicated to managed plantation eucalypts for high grade furniture timber whilst the remainder of the land is maintained as remnant bush land and important indigenous grasslands.

Typical hand management regimes of fastidious small vineyard philosophies are maintained encompassing hand pruning, frequent passes (at least ten passes each vine) through the growing season managing the vertical shoot positioned canopy and hand harvesting.

Since 2005 organic procedures have been implemented and inputs where the focus is on promoting soil life and balance leading to excellent vine health. This involves compost, under-vine cultivation and aerating the soil (opening up the soil for air, moisture and soil applications).

Bindi Wines use a single FrostBoss™ C49 frost fan to protect their boutique vineyard. With a vineyard elevation 500 metres above sea level, owner Michael Dhillon tells us the fan has run a couple of times over summer – he remembers the time and dates and you can sense the peace of mind and relief they provide – automatically firing up around 6.00am on 21st February and also after a light frost on 19th December. “It would have clocked up around 20 hours over the last 12 months”, says Michael.

The critical time with wine grapes is during spring if there are potentially damaging cold events at postbudbreak stages of grape development.

As well as their own Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, Bindi Wines source Shiraz grapes from a friend’s block up the road. Bindi Wines are rare but recognised among Australia’s finest. For more details go to www.bindiwines.com.au