The name Ridgeback is descriptive of the vineyard location, being situated on the back of the main ridge at Panton Hill, but also directly alludes to our fine and aristocratic Rhodesian Ridgeback vineyard dogs, one of whom is proudly to featured the estate's label. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are varieties for which the Yarra Valley is renowned, and the wines Ridgeback makes from these varieties proves the point. Ridgeback Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlot are elegant and refined, exhibiting all the class and finesse for which these Bordeaux varieties are acclaimed.

New Chum Gully Estate, home to Ridgeback Wines, is situated in the cool-climate region of Victoria's Yarra Valley. The property is nestled on the back of a high ridge in an old gold-mining area dating back to the 1850s. New Chum Gully Estate, with its wide-sweeping views to the Dandenong Mountains, is within easy reach of Melbourne suburbs and just 45 minutes from the CBD. There are still remains of old mineshafts embedded in the clay soils. Ron and Lynne Collings established the vineyard in 1991, purchasing an old apple orchard, and gradually planted 10 acres of vines. Initially, they sold their top class fruit. Their own label was released for the 2000 Vintage.

Best viticultural practices, close planted vines, minimal cropping, a slow ripening season, hand-picking, French Oak and superb winemaking blend together to produce premium wines. The elegant and refined Chardonnays display citrus and creamy flavours, with just a touch of vanilla. Earthy Pinot Noirs, so typical of the region, ooze with chocolate, roasted coffee and "forest floor", with an overlay of plums and black cherries. Subtle aromas of blackcurrant, sweet vanilla and cigar box, with just a hint of mint, epitomise the Cabernet Sauvignons.

The crème de la crème, from the small block of Merlot, shows luscious plum and mulberry fruits with classic tealeaf earthiness. Full, rounded and silky smooth blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot shows all the trade marks of this beautiful blend. All will age beautifully, but equally, drink well now, either alone or accompanied by food.

A delicious dry Pinot Noir Rosé, made for Ridgeback by James Lance at Diamond Valley Vineyards entirely from fruit grown on ourthe Ridgeback estate. This wine is ideal for the Australian climate and to accompany al fresco dining and barbeques. Chilled Rosé! What could be better on a hot summer’s day? Ridgeback wines are still enjoying export success in the UK. Ridgeback have been featured at Balls Brothers winebars and restaurants in London, and from all accounts they have gone down extremely well.

The Karridale Vineyard, 45km south of Margaret River township, is very close to Flinders Bay. Its climate is distinctly cooler than in the north of the region. Scientific data has found that Karridale is the coolest grape growing region in Western Australia. Influenced by both Southern and Indian Oceans, the 50 hectare (120 acres) vineyard was planted between 1995 and 1998 on a former dairy farm of 80 hectares (200 acres). Varieties planted are Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec.

Vineyard practices, trellising methods and control of yields, are determined by only one criterion ‚ optimum quality. Pests (slugs, snails, beetles etc) are controlled without the use of chemicals, by chooks (chickens) and ducks. The absolute minimum of fertilizers and chemicals are utilised.

The surrounding Marri trees (WA Red gum) conveniently flower as vintage approaches. The silvereye birds which can cause so much damage to ripening grapes are attracted to the Marri blossom. If the Marri blossom is poor, the silvereyes will attack the grapes. So we put nets over whole rows of ripening grapes. The fruit is harvested when taste and laboratory analysis indicates optimum ripeness. Whites are harvested at night, so as to reach the winery cool, and need less refrigeration prior to cold fermentation. Reds can come off during the day, as they are fermented at room temperature. The quality of fruit has exceeded the best expectations.

The Margaret River wine region occupies the south western corner of Western Australia; about three hours drive south of Perth. It enjoys a Western Maritime, or Mediterranean climate. Summers are warm and dry, winters cool and wet. The climate has often been compared to that of Bordeaux.

The Indian Ocean lies to the west, the Southern Ocean to the south. The oceans meet at Cape Leeuwin, near the small township of Augusta. Here the Blackwood River, the largest in the South West, ends its journey, flowing into Flinders Bay. Humpback and Southern Right whales abound in the waters around the South West. They take refuge in Flinders Bay during their annual migration.

In 1965 the Redman family sold the vineyards and winery, which, with the original Richardson property, became Rouge Homme as it is today. Occupying about 60 hectares, the vineyards are planted with classic varieties including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, with a small amount of Chardonnay. The Rouge Homme Winery is now one of the most modern and sophisticated in the Coonawarra.

Situated in the southeast of South Australia some 50kms north of Mount Gambier, the Coonawarra grapegrowing district is a unique isolated strip of rich terra rossa soil over porous limestone. Running in a north-south direction just over 14kms long and around 2kms wide, it is an island of red soil bordered by black soil, grazing country and sandy loams. A climate of cold, wet winters and mild to warm, dry summers allows slow ripening of the grapes, with excellent development of sugar levels and flavour, and the retention of good acidity. Because of the cold winters and springs, the vines at Rouge Homme are trained over especially high trellises, with overhead mist sprinklers to protect them from frosts during spring.

As custodians of the Rouge Homme's great Coonawarra traditions, the winemaking team continues to produce a range of distinctive, approachable wines which have the potential to develop great complexity with bottle ageing over many years. With a considerable reputation as classic Coonawarra, Rouge Homme wines are frequent gold medal winners - particularly the reds. In 1994, Rouge Homme received what is regarded by many to be the wine industry's greatest accolade - the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy which was awarded to 1993 Rouge Homme Richardsons Red Block.

The winery only processes estate-grown fruit. More than half of the production is Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon, both of which are produced under the Gallery Series label, which features a different artist each year. Other wines include a Zinfandel, a fortified Traminer, Chardonnay, and Shiraz. Hippocrene is a distinctive sparkling red wine produced since 1990.

The Clare Valley whilst being a catchy marketing term, is in fact incorrect. There is no single valley, while there is a plateau corrugated by ridges that generally run in a north-south direction. The central feature of this plateau is Mount Horrocks (600 m). South of Mount Horrocks there are three valleys: the Wakefield River, Eyre Creek, and the Skillogalee Creek, that join and flow west to Port Wakefield.

Flowing north are the valleys of the Hill River and the Hutt River, that ultimately flow into the Broughton and meet the sea at Port Davis (between Port Broughton and Port Pirie). Polish Hill River is located on the upper reaches of the Hill River. The soil at Polish Hill River is an acidic red-brown clayey-loam. In contrast to the Watervale sub-region to the south of Mount Horrocks, there is no limestone at Polish Hill River. Geologically the region is of ancient shale and an extension of the famous Mintaro slate. (The slate quarry at nearby Mintaro remains the only site in Australia where it is possible to obtain a sheet of slate large enough for a full-size billiard table)

In the extreme north-west corner of the vineyard, and on the highest part of the property is a small 2 hectare planting of young riesling vines, that is known as the DJW block, so called because Daniel James Wilson planted the patch. In 2001 it yielded its first economic crop, and it was Daniel's choice that the wine should be kept separate from the rest of the Riesling production and produced as an individual vineyard bottling.

Daniel James Wilson's faith was justified, when in June 2002 the 2001 DJW Riesling was awarded the trophy for the best boutique riesling in the Boutique Wine Awards. That 2001 DJW Riesling also won a gold medal in the 2002 Clare Valley Wine Show category for non-commercial riesling. The 2003 vintage has continued the winning streak, and in the 2003 Clare Valley Wine Show was awarded the Mick Knappstein Trophy for the best commercial riesling (current vintage), and the Jim Barry Perpetual Trophy for the best wine of the show. In August 2004 this wine was awarded the top honour for riesling in the Tri-Nation awards, held in Sydney. This award judges the best wines submitted from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. The Wilson Vineyard Rieslings are powerful wines that take more than five years in the bottle to show their best, and have consistently shown themselves to be amongst the nation's best.