In South Africa, vineyards and wineries are not called vineyards or wineries. Instead, they’re known as ‘wine farms’. Winemaker Neil Hawkins is from South Africa, so The Wine Farm was the perfect name for his Gippsland winery.
It’s set in Koonwarra, not far from Inverloch and Leongatha, on some of the most incredible soils in Gippsland. You can literally see the point where they change from grey loam to mineral-rich red. On them, he’s planted an acre each of eight different varieties – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Syrah. With such small plantings of such high quality wine, it’s easy to imagine how quickly these bottles sell out.
