Brian’s winemaking style for Mahi is to allow the vineyards to speak through the wines, with the wines being made in a very hands off manner. The primary emphasis for all of Mahi’s wines is texture, aiming for wines that give real palate satisfaction rather than fruit bomb styles. The very first harvest was from a vineyard located in the Conder’s Bend part of Marlborough. An area Brian was familiar with. Initial quantities were tiny from this small 1.5 hectare parcel of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from the Byrne vineyard. Mahi now manages the vineyard organically and are thrilled to still be working with the site that started it all.

In 2003 Twin Valleys Vineyard was included into the Mahi family. Located at Fareham Lane in a distinctive part of Wairau Valley, an area of slightly cooler temperatures and longer ripening times. A series of elegant Chardonnays have come from this parcel. From 2006 onwards Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer have also been made. In 2007 the owners purchased a site close by at Guernsey Lane and planted it to Sauvignon Blanc.

In 2004 an opportunity to take some Sauvignon Blanc from a vineyard closer to the sea presented itself and since then the Francis Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc has been produced. The Francis family has a long history with Brian and Nicola as Polly Francis had worked five vintages with Brian and worked the first vintage at the Mahi winery in 2007.

Having a winery was a long held dream as it allowed for total control of the winemaking process and also gave Mahi a home. The first vintage of Mahi in its new home was 2007. A lease of an excellent vineyard was taken up and another very good grower was also added. The greater numbers of vineyards meant that the focus at Mahi was broadened and in 2007 the first regional Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was produced.

Mahi work hard to maintain a close relationship with the vineyard owners. It is possible to make okay wines from mediocre grapes but it is impossible to make the wines that Mahi want to be associated with without access to great fruit, grown by great people. It is the key to be associated with people who have the right sites, vineyards which are planted with the appropriate varieties, growers with the passion and experience to manage the vineyard so that great grapes are produced. It is an art and a science to manage a vineyard through a season and as each season is different from the others, good growers learn something new every year. With this in mind, the Mahi team acknowledge the impact that experience has on making particular decisions for a parcel of land.

Each year the most promising parcels are hand selected and blended from premium Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from a number of outstanding wine regions across Victoria and South Australia. The flexibility of this multi-regional blending approach allows for the best attributes of individual regions to be captured and combined for exceptional results.

Five Stars - If you are thinking elegant, fragile, subtle - think again. Could anything be less subtle than a whopper gutsy red wine with horns on the label? I think there is the slightlest posibility they are trying to send a subliminal message that it might just go well with a steak. They'd be right. This will cost you far less than a decent slab of dead cow, so grab the bull by the horns. - Stuart Gregor

A rare 100% Cabernet Sauvignon regional blend from South Australia that is sure to turn some heads. It overflows with black fruits and a smoky/hazy thick nose topped by vanilla and all-spice. In the mouth, it's aggressive with assertive tannins, campfire smoke, a blanket of dark juice that coats the innards and laced with liquorice and spice. Think beef and Angus, like Romeo and Juliet. - Rick Van Sickle, Calgary Sunday Sun

90 Points - Wow! What a spectacular value 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Four thousand cases of this gorgeously rich, pure, medium to full bodied 2002 were produced. A dense ruby/purple colour is followed by copious quantities of creme de cassis, spice, and earth aromas. Rich textured, it is a total hedonistic turn-on that readers should consider purchasing by the case. Why can't any California wineries produce a Cabernet Sauvignon this special for a similar price? Drink it over the next 4-5 years. - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Hot-Blooded Cab Sauv Hits A Niche! Its name conjures up images of a big, bold and fiery red -- and the taste delivers. An ideal accompaniment to thick, fat and juicy steaks. The wine is dense, inky black, with intense black fruits and violets with light smoky-oak characters. Full-bodied and rich in flavour, it has concentrated ripe fruits and a bold finish. Good to drink now, it will continue to improve over the next six years. - Belinda Heggen Adelaide Sunday Mail

Redbox wines are drawn from the Redbox vineyard, as well as associated vineyards in the Yarra Valley, Perricoota, and Mornington Peninsula. Innovative approaches to viticulture and vinification affords the winemaker access to parcels of the finest Yarra Valley fruit with the ability to fashion some wonderfully unique wine styles. In the hospitality and tourism category, Redbox Cellar Door was one of the three finalists, pipped by the Eltham Gateway Hotel and Conference Centre for first place, a proud achievement for the young winery that has encouraged the staff to constantly improve the amenity of the cellar door, and of course, the lovely wines.

Spring is the most exciting period in the year for the Redbox vineyard, as the vines are in their most prolific state. The entire Yarra Valley is dressed in brilliant hues of green, the vines have flowered, and bunches are forming. Throughout spring and the early summer, cutting the grass, eliminating weeds, and in general, grooming the vineyard is a full time job. The Redbox Vineyard and Winery has been brought to life over the past years, and the Spencer family happily welcomes visitors every weekend.

Tasters will find that each wine is true to type, in its varietal make-up and origins, as the wines are strongly related to origin and a sense of place. The mellow smooth flavour of Redbox wines is consistent across the range. Perricoota Shiraz 2003, 2004 and 2005 were all put up for wine judging in separate events, and each one received one or more medals. A similar situation has occurred with other red and white Redbox wines. Any kind of a medal is considered important, but to get 19 medals in the space of six months, is an outstanding achievement.

Redbox has excellent stocks of big selling wines, including the unique Mourvedre - the most romantic wine on earth. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Barbera are in plentiful supply, as are the popular white wines. In 2006, Redbox produced some exotic products. One of two dessert wines, Ice Riesling promises to be extremely popular, and the innovative Cabernet Dessert wine has debuted to rapturous interest.

In 2004, Redbox made their first Methode Champonoise Sparkling Rose. Fermented in the bottle for two years, 100 dozen Sparkling Rose were produced, and in less than two months only 30 cases were left. Now it trickles out of the stock room at a pace which will make it linger until the release of the Redbox Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Chardonnay, a new edition of the Sparkling Rose, and a truly unique Sparkling Merlot, all methode champenoise of course. The Redbox Classic Tawny Port was so popular, that a second barrel had to be tapped. It is a slow task to hand fill and individually label each bottle, but the Classic Tawny is such a superb product, it is actually a labour of love. The winery's Big Shed opposite the Redbox Cellar Door has recently been made fully operational with the luxury of space to store wine, and the huge amounts of equipment needed to operate a vineyard.

The Grampians region has a long history of producing elegant, powerful and long lived table wines. Vines were first planted in 1860 and in December 1887 the Ararat Advertiser reported that the local wine had won honours all over the world'

In 1892, there were 92 grapegrowers in the Grampians district with some 1885 acres under vine. With the downturn in the fortunes of the wine industry earlier this century, much of this vineyard was grubbed out with some hardy survivors, such as Bests, keeping the traditions alive. A resurgence in the late 1960s and 1970s lead to the establishment of a new group of wineries, including Four Sisters. Now the Grampians region is once again recognised internationally for the absolute quality of Victorian wines.

Trevor regularly takes his seat as Judge at the National Wine Shows and is a highly regarded stalwart of Victoria's winemaking fraternity. Trevor Mast first entered the industry when he worked at Gilbeys, where he was responsible for the blending of spirits and liqueurs, and later took up a position as microbiologist for Stellenbosch Winery in South Africa.

One year his four daughters created the wine label design as a birthday surprise. Produced with the help of the eldest daughter Daliah, a graphic designer, the label depicts each one of the sisters Sophie, Anja, Daliah and Ineke. Delighted with the label mock up and his daughters' plans for a wine aptly named Four Sisters, Trevor initially crafted a small production wine from the vineyard growing behind the family home.

With the positive response from all who tried the wine and heard the original story behind it, Four Sisters is now a successful brand with a range of four classic grape varieties.