Premium sites within the original vineyard have been selected to create wines which emphasise their regional characteristics. The grapes are vinified under the direction of experienced winemaker Ely Jarvis (ex Cape Mentelle) who is crafting a unique signature to make Fonty’s Pool one of Western Australia’s most distinctive wineries. Known as a local landmark, the name Fonty’s Pool comes from an early settler to the region. In 1907 Archie Fontanini began farming on the property where the 110 hectares of vines are now laid. He built an irrigation dam which was affectionately called Fonty’s Pool’ and became a place where locals and tourists alike would come to swim.

The Pemberton winegrowing region is richly timbered, and was first planted experimentally to wine grapes in 1977. Since then Pemberton has continued to grow and has become widely acclaimed for its spectacular wines and beautiful scenery. Some 85 percent of the Pemberton region remains under native vegetation with magnificent marri forests in the northern half, moving to karri in the south.

The Pemberton Wine Region contains some of the oldest soils in the world. The best soils are the red gravely loams over clay, which are associated with the jarrah/ marri landscape. These soils are the same as the finest in Margaret River with the main difference being in Pemberton they account for about 70% of the area and are uniform throughout. Due to the topography, the soils are very well drained.

Pemberton is the coolest wine region in Western Australia. Principally due to its elevation above sea level and its close proximity to the confluence of the Great Southern and Indian Oceans. The coolness of Pemberton can be seen in the temperature statistics of winter chill hours and mean January, summer temperatures. This cooler climate confers the dual benefits of true vine dormancy and a long ripening period. In general this region harvests equivalent varieties about 2-3 weeks later than Margaret River.

During the summer and autumn Pemberton receives less rain and cloud than the coastal wine regions of Western Australia. This quality factor is important in disease management and the longer ripening period for the later Bordeaux varieties, for which Pemberton is renowned. Pemberton has been fortunate in getting the benefit from the improved technology of modern viticulture practices gleaned from the experience of the older premium wine regions.

In 1996 Tracy and Domenic stumbled across a small, frost pocketed hollow on beautiful Mt McKenzie in the Eden Valley and fell in love with the area for its remoteness and diverse thin soils. The rationale was quite simple, this land would produce low yields of Shiraz fruit which would translate into full, flavoursome Italian styles of wine to match their beloved Mediterranean cooking. Torzi and Matthews had plenty of detractors and lots of unsolicited advice, some good, some … well some people don't have vision.

The vines went in, the frosts came, the yields were low and Frost Dodger was born. Frost Dodger wines are crafted to non intervention European techniques, the Italian appassimento method is used for Shiraz, a regimen which employs a careful hand harvest of whole bunches which are then put onto racks and laid out for drying in the open. The parched grapes are then fermented naturally by the indigenous yeasts of the vineyard.

Torzi Matthews white wines also employ European non-interventional methods, hand picking and whole bunch pressing, the free run juices are naturally fermented by indigenous yeasts from the vineyard.

Torzi Matthews make a range of Italian varietal wines under the Vigna Cantina label. These represent Mario & Francesca Torzi's native wine grape varietals. Torzi Matthews have taken great effort in sourcing the planting materials and determining a quality of vineyard sites which were not readily available a decade ago. These wines are truly wonderful, their aromatics and fresh lively fruit flavours represent a pinnacle in the pairing of wines with Italian food.

The story however doesn’t end there. While establishing their vineyards, Torzi & Matthews took over reigns of the family extra virgin olive oil business. Setting a new direction, they increased the sourcing of wild olives to groves scattered throughout the Barossa. These magnificent ancient wild olive trees date back to the 1880s, today they produce extra virgin olive oil of amazing quality and character. "Domenic Torzi is typical of the new generation of Australian wine artisans, hand-making wine from a small patch of vines, taking an extraordinary risk by planting vines in a frost pocket on the gentle slopes of Mt McKenzie. So much is made of the Barossa and to a lesser extent Clare Valleys that the beautiful Eden Valley, its unpaved roads lined with gums, is often overlooked. Yalumba and Henschke are the king and queen. Torzi Matthews is definitely an upstart serf!" -Jancis Robinson

In 1996, upon meeting a local identity nicknamed Bluey, Claymore Wines invested in the forty acre Kupu-kupu site at Penwortham, a premium vineyard which grows good quality shiraz, merlot and grenache vines. With brown loam soil over slate and very little surface water, just magnificent terroir for growing concentrated rich fruit, Kupu-kupu has become the Graceland of Claymore Wines, the home of many modern classics.

The first commercial releases of Claymore began in 1997 under the possibly misguided premise that this could be a path to early retirement. Now almost 10 years on thoughts of retirement may be premature! Desparate lots of parched fruit are high maintenance, but Claymore have not looked back with regards to the quality of their award winning fruit. Non-irrigated, the vineyard yields only small volumes per tonne (no more than 2 tonnes per acre) but this is more than compensated for by the quality of the wines produced.

Claymore is a Clare Valley winery, a region with wine heritage dating back over 160 years, the first vines planted in 1842 by James Green, a servant of the districts pioneer John Horrocks. The region comprises a series of valleys with altitudes ranging from 300 to 500 metres. The climate is moderately continental with cool to cold nights and warm to hot summer days. Rainfall is predominantly in winter-spring (June to September) with an annual average from 430-630 mm. The average summer daytime temperature is 29 degrees, and 13 degrees in the winter.

All the Claymore's grapes are sourced from their own vineyards in the Watervale and Penwortham region with some fruit coming from premium grape growers around the Clare Valley. Each Claymore release is titled after a favourite rock album of the winemaker, the wine often reflecting the melodies and rhapsodies of it's namesake.

Claymore strive for excellence in the quality of fruit, processing limited yields of the most excellent possible material through a combination of traditional and modern wine making technique. Claymore's award winning editions including the Joshua Tree Riesling, the Dark Side of the Moon Shiraz and the Nocturne Grenache Shiraz. It is an amazingly satisfying experience to savour the flavours that capture the vibrance of these wines, made from premium fruits.

Cape Barren Wines are made from fruit parcels carefully selected from premium estate vineyards throughout the McLaren Vale. Cape Barren first produced the Old Vine Shiraz, and as the name suggests, the fruit was selected from the 70 year old vines at Blewitt Springs. This wine quickly gained a reputation and was followed by the introduction of the Native Goose Grenache Shiraz Mourvédre and the Native Goose Shiraz. Most recently was the addition of Silly Goose, a blend of Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc and McLaren Vale Semillon and Viognier.

Cape Barren is comprised of over 150 acres of quality vineyards across the McLaren Vale region of South Australia, including Willunga and the premium Blewitt Springs area. Slightly elevated, the Blewitt Springs sub-region is bordered by the Adelaide foothills. At around 150m above sea level the higher altitude promotes slower ripening, allowing the fruit to mature over a longer time frame, promoting superior flavour development. The Blewitt Springs vineyard is gently undulating with a unique soil structure of very deep sand over ironstone.

The precious vines at Blewitt Springs are protected on all sides from strong winds by native forest and mature tree windbreaks. These 25 acres of vines were planted some 70 years ago, the old vines produce a low yield of approximately two tonne per acre. Only select parcels of fruit from this vineyard make it into the Reserve Release Old Vine Shiraz. The unique terroir of this vineyard allows the crafting of an elegant Shiraz that possesses a profound depth of flavour.

McLaren Vale is only 37km from the heart of Adelaide CBD and situated on the beautiful and geographically diverse Fleurieu Peninsula. Known for its mild climate McLaren Vale is home to some of the best wine grapes in the country. The Willunga sub-region of McLaren Vale is located on the coastal plain, near the southern ocean providing a strong maritime influence. The fertile soils are red brown alluvial loams, sandy and darker soils with a climate typically of cool wet winters and warm dry summers.

In recent years Australian and International wine critics have sung the praises of McLaren Vale Shiraz, earmarking McLaren Vale as one of the best Shiraz producing regions in the world. The estate's winemaking team crafts abundantly flavoured wines which are supported by a structure and backbone that will deliver improvement with a decade in the cellar. The reds are matured in French oak hogsheads and American oak barriques for many months, with a policy of minimal handling.