Sandhurst Ridge Winery

About Winery and Wines

We believe that the soils, the climate and the care that goes into our wines make them unique. The Sandhurst Ridge vineyard is planted on the western side of a line of hills on the western fringe of Bendigo. The site is relatively frost-free at budburst and onwards. The soil conditions at first are somewhat inhospitable with a very thin layers of top soil over some 60-100cms of heavy red clay interspersed with quartz and ironstone. The clay reacts to moisture levels, opening up when dry and closing up tight and retaining moisture when wet. With normal winter rainfall, the need for supplementary irrigation is minimal once the vines are established.

Prior to planting, we embarked on a massive soil preparation program, which included deep-ripping to 1.5 metres and the introduction of large quantities of organic material, compost and mulches. Our intentions were to have a deep-rooted vineyard which would survive and bear fruit in periods of drought. In good years, our production expectations are still at only between 4-5 tonnes/hectare, and in dry years, considerably less. We now have a vineyard producing richly-flavoured fruit with very fine tannins. George Greblo is vineyard manager and meticulously tends to the vines and soil management. He oversees the hand-pruning of all the vines and thoroughly enjoys the fruit of his labours at the end of the day.