In addition Houghton operates four of Western Australia's largest vineyards at Moondah Brook, Pemberton, Mt Barker and Frankland River, along with sourcing fruit from Margaret River, Harvey and emerging premium areas. These diverse wine regions provide the necessary fruit requirements vital for the production of premium table wines, which are distinctly Western Australian.

Expansion into the Western Australian South West and Great southern region led to the establishment of a second premium winery, located at Nannup in the Blackwood Valley. Together the sites provide an outstanding capability for premium wine production via minimal fruit handling with flexibility, to achieve quality excellence.

The Houghton commitment to excellence from vine to bottle has established the enviable position of Western Australia's most awarded winemaker. The portfolio includes the brands of Houghton (including the famous White Burgundy), Houghton Crofters, and Moondah Brook. The new Houghton Regional Range is a selection of elegant, premium varietal styles from key South West Western Australian regions, such as Frankland River Shiraz and Riesling; Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon and Pemberton Chardonnay, Merlot and Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir.

Special Houghton releases and the Houghton Jack Mann reserve Cabernet, reflect the ultra premium winemaking abilities and cellaring potential of Houghton wines. The late Jack Mann, creator of Houghton White Burgundy in 1937, was the driving force of Houghton for 51 years and a legendary character of Western Australia. Long time friend Dr John Gladstones has supported the regionlised direction of Houghton, endorsing the Frankland River super premium Shiraz with his name. This followed the development of the Houghton Regional Range holding aligned varieties within Western Australian sub-regions.

Today, the name Houghton is synonymous with fine wines and the parkland gardens, historic cellars and restored homestead (of Scottish Croft design) provide picturesque surroundings for wines which have become a piece of Australian wine history. Houghton has significant vineyard holdings in most of Western Australia's premium grape growing regions: Frankland River Location: 350km south-east of Perth, WA (Frankland River district) Size: 89 hectares Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malbec, Riesling, Shiraz, Verdelho, Semillon.

A wine almost as rare as the precious greenstone that inspired its name. Found in the South Island, greenstone is crafted into beautiful carvings that are passed on from one generation to the next. Like the land itself, they are much treasured and from this much treasured land comes the finest parcels of fruit which have been selected for Secret Stone.

The result is the Secret Stone Sauvignon Blanc, a wine fresh, vibrant and elegant. Distinctively Marlborough.

Once received at the winery the fruit is de-stemmed, pressed and chilled to 10-12C before gentle pressing. The resulting juices are cold settled for 48-72 hours and racked in preparation for fermentation. Following fermentation in stainless steel the wine is chilled to 0C prior to racking and selection for the final blend. The primary objective being to protect the fresh vibrant characters of the expressive fruit.

The Yarra Valley is one of Australia’s premier cool-climate wine growing regions. It experiences consistently cool to mild weather, which allows for the slow, even ripening of fruit and produces long-lived wines of the highest quality. In the late 1890s the Yarra Valley was producing wines regarded as among the finest in the country. However, with the Great Depression of the 1930s, a shift in consumer tastes, and changing agricultural economics, saw the early Yarra Valley vineyards all but disappear.

With the growing interest in premium table wines during the 1960s and 1970s, came the search for new and promising viticultural districts, the Yarra Valley quickly attracting the interest of some of Australia’s most enterprising and talented winemakers. Lillydale's two vineyards, Morning Light and Sunnyside, were among the first to re-establish in the Yarra Valley in 1976. The two vineyards purchased by the McWilliam family in 1994 are the major source of fruit for McWilliam’s Lillydale Estate range. The remainder is sourced from a rigorous selection of the Yarra Valley’s best vineyard sites.

The diverse fruit supply provides McWilliam’s winemakers with a broader range of blending options, and the ability to produce Lillydale Estate wines that are high in quality and consistent in style from year to year despite varying vintage conditions. The Morning Light Vineyard takes its name from the ship that transported McWilliam’s founder, Samuel McWilliam, from Ireland to Melbourne in 1857. Sunnyside was the name of the first winery and vineyard he established at Corowa in New South Wales in 1877.

Lillydale Estate's cellar door holds gold medal winning wines (Lillydale Estate Chardonnay, Cabernet Merlot, and Gewürztraminer) and occassionally offers other wines from other McWilliam's wineries around Australia. The Estate's cellar offers visitors the opportunity to taste its fine Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Rose, Cabernet Merlot and Gewürztraminer. Private parties and functions are catered at the 40-seat restaurant, and the larger adjacent Pavilion.

Mark your diary and join 20,000 like minded wine, food and music lovers on the biggest weekend of the wine festival calendar. Every year in mid-February, Lillydale Estate joins other Yarra Valley wineries for the annual Grape Grazing Festival, a weekend full of fun and frivolity. The festival spans the Valley taking in 25 wineries, with a focus on beautifully crafted wine, and superb food.

Long Paddock's flagship Anvil Shiraz reminds us of times gone by when settlers handcrafted their farming implements with the heat of the forge and the strength of the anvil. Filled with hope and determination, these pioneers set about taming much of Victoria’s uncharted lands. Celebrating the badge of Redbank, The Anvil Shiraz continues the Redbank philosophy of seeking outstanding fruit from premium regions within Victoria.

Much of Victoria is littered with long abandoned miners' camps and long forgotten mine shafts that gave little to the battling prospector of the 1850s gold rush. During the same time notorious bushrangers roamed the high country of North East Victoria robbing the gold and mail coaches and stealing the valuable livestock of wealthy land owners. This colouful heritage inspired the wines from the King Valley. New varietal styles from high altitude vineyards reflect the diversity of the King Valley. Fruit for these wines is harvested from vineyards that sit at nearly 800 metres above sea level, covered in snow in winter and shrouded in cloud during other times of the year.

The high altitude valleys of Eastern Victoria are about three hours drive from the state capital, Melbourne. Situated in the heart of the Alpine Way, the region was the home of The Man from Snowy River, the horseman immortalised in Banjo Patterson's classic Australian poem. After the Second World War, the region was settled by many Europeans, mainly Italian. These hard-working migrants established a thriving farming community. The rich, fertile soils and high rainfall provided an ideal climate for growing quality crops. The most prolific plantings were tobacco, but other crops such as hops and wine grapes also grew well.

Today tobacco and hops farming has all but disappeared, and the region is becoming one of the more important cool climate grape growing areas in Australia. More than 2,500 acres are planted out to premium grape varieties, with some vineyards planted in granite based soils on mountain slopes more than 800 metres above sea level. Early autumn mornings see these vineyards hidden by low cloud that shrouds the nearby mountains.

The Long Paddock winemakers and viticulturists work closely with a dedicated family of carefully selected independent growers. These small family-run vineyards offer unique and subtle soil and altitude differences that provide the winemakers with an opportunity to create distinctive wines reflecting the finest attributes of the regions. Fruit for the Long Paddock and King Valley wines is sourced from high-altitude vineyards in Victoria’s high country, from the Alpine, King and Ovens Valleys.