Soldier’s Block draws on the very best regional wines from around Australia.  The elegant yet richly textured Chardonnay comes from Cowra in New South Wales.  The Merlot is from Mount Benson on the limestone coast of South Australia.  The Shiraz is taken from 2 blocks in Central Victoria, which produce a concentrated rich wine marked out by the delicate red fruit and distinctive mint aromas.

The O’Dea family has been producing wines here for over 40 years and has recently been joined by Folkert Jannsen as winemaker.  The location, in the rolling hills of Cowra on mineral sand and loam over clay with intermittent gravel layers, provides perfect conditions. “The Mill” wines are named after one of NSW’s most historic buildings dating back to 1861. Closed in 1905, it lay dormant for 90 years, until the O’Deas lovingly restored it to its former glory.

One of the founding wineries of the Victorian Pyrenees, now with 132 hectares, described by Robert Joseph as “one of the most beautiful vineyards on the planet”, with rolling hills, sweeping vistas, bluffs and stands of gum trees creating a spectacular backdrop.  An elevation of 200-400 metres above sea-level, and prevailing winds moderating temperatures during the growing season, are key to their success.  Cool nights, warm days and a rain-free ripening period combine with some of the hardest and leanest soils to create wines with immense complexity.

The wines from Pipers Brook remain at the very pinnacle of Tasmanian wine production, with an enviable heritage as the first wines to show the potential that this island has to offer.  The first vineyards were planted in 1974 in carefully selected sites along the north coast on the banks of the Tamar and Pipers Brook rivers just north of Launceston.

Originally set up as a joint venture with Cape Mentelle and Cloudy Bay, it underwent a massive planting program bringing the acreage under vine up to 110 hectares.  Now independent and going from strength to strength with each new vintage, it achieved a 93-point rating from James Halliday for its Chardonnay.  In 2005, Eloise Jarvis left Cape Mentelle to become the chief Winemaker and is now making pure and precise wines across the full range.