Geelong region winery barons revealed
Geelong and the Bellarine is fast becoming the go-to wine destination and much of it can be put down to the ‘first families’ of the local industry.
Geelong
Don't miss out on the headlines from Geelong. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Bellarine wine region staple has always been a family affair.
Russell and Jan McGlashan handed over the reins of the McGlashan’s Estate cellar door to their daughters Maddy and Jaimie – and their partners – earlier this year.
The foursome also run FarmDog brewing, which has seen the inclusion of beer and gin at the revamped Wallington cellar door.
Maddy McGlashan told the Addy this week the plan came about during lockdown.
While she’d always planned on moving back to the area to help out at the family business, lockdown forced a reassessment of priorities.
“I thought I’d eventually come back to the Bellarine and help out Mum and Dad,” she said.
“But during lockdown we assessed everything and just thought: ‘why aren’t we doing this right now?’”
Ms McGlashan said the two couples had worked “really well” in bringing different skillsets to various areas of the business.
“We’ve all picked paths that work well, and work on different parts of the business,” she said.
“Dad is still running the vineyard and looking after the villas.”
Russell and Jan McGlashan purchased the property in 1995, and had been running the cellar door for 15 years before handing it over.
“We were around the vineyard a lot as kids, and helped out as teenagers,” she said.
With plans for their first canning run coming weeks, expansion plans for the brewery are on the horizon.
“In a few days we’ll be doing our first canning run,” she said.
“The plan is to look into wholesale and bring some local businesses on board to stock our beer and gin.”
Ms McGlashan said the local industry had been “incredibly supportive” of the move.
“It’s nice there are still a lot of family ties to the Geelong vineyards,” she said.
“You don’t see it in a lot of other regions. Everyone is super-friendly and we’ve been really well accepted into the industry.”
Baie Wines
Nadine and Simon Nuc moved from Melbourne to the Bellarine Peninsula more than a decade ago to be close to their family-run vineyard.
Ms Nuc said the “test year” was designed to give Simon a chance to live out his dreams of being on the farm – but the choice stuck.
“I soon realised I wouldn’t be jumping straight back onto a plane and into a corporate role with a newborn,” she told the Addy in 2020.
“That was when it became clear the vineyard Simon and his dad had planted — which they were just selling the grapes off to some of the bigger wineries — was the perfect opportunity for Simon and I to come together and take that over and create our own label.”
More than a decade on the team are producing between 2000-300 cases of wine each year, and the winery has proven a stunning wedding venue.
“We don’t stock into Melbourne or anywhere out of our local area and we don’t have enough to even meet that demand so it’s a really privileged place to be,” Ms Nuc said in 2020.
OneDay estate
A love of recycling and upcycling has extended to Oneday Estate’s cellar door, built from remnants of the Queenscliff marina, an old Ocean Grove Catholic Church, newspapers found under the flood of a store in Barwon Heads and a door once owned by millionaire Robert Holmes a Court.
“People think it’s called Oneday because we’re open one day a week, but it’s called Oneday because he says ‘One day I’ll be finished,” the winery’s wedding, functions and events manager, Chae van Dorsse told the Addy earlier this year.
Today the winery regularly hosts weddings, functions and live music over the weekend.
The Sharp Group
No Geelong region winery list would be complete without Lindsay and David Sharp.
The duo own a raft of Bellarine staples, including Leura Park Estate, Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Flying Brick Cider Co and the Curlewis Golf Club.
“There is so much pride and passion that goes into all things Jack Rabbit. Recognition such as this is very much positive reinforcement for our incredible team and array of wonderful local producers,” Ms Sharp told the Addy after Jack Rabbit took out the Golden Plate Award last year.
“It means so much to the entire team on so many levels – the calibre of the other businesses in the running was high.”
Earlier this year the group unveiled its new $20m Curlewis clubhouse.
The pair bought their first winery on the Bellarine Peninsula a decade after moving to the area.
“There was a synergy in our passions and our skills complemented one another — David’s background in farming and accounting and mine in marketing and PR — so when the property (60ha at Curlewis) came up, we bought it,” Ms Sharp told NewsCorp in 2015.
Austin’s Wines
Husband-and-wife duo Scott and Belinda Austin are going from strength to strength.
The local staple was started in Waurn Ponds in 1982 by Scott’s parents who bought the Sutherlands Creek property in 1989.
In the years since taking over from Scott’s parents, he and Belinda have opened a new, permanent cellar door, launched a rent-a-vine program and struck deals with liquor giant Dan Murphy’s.
The pair opened up about their new stunning cellar door – a converted 1960s shearing shed- with the Addy earlier this year.
“The architect said ‘What do you want?’ and I was like, ‘We want to keep the heritage and just refine it, make it a bit more modern, and make the most of the views’,” Belinda said.
““What’s made us where we are is because we, as a business, always seek customer feedback about what they want and we adapt our business to that.”
Mazzini wines
Mazzini wines showcase Geelong’s wine region in a unique way.
Owner Paul Marinelli launched an online wine store before the pandemic, showcasing grapes from the Surf Coast, Bellarine Peninsula and Moorabool Valley regions, rather than a vineyard owned by the brand.
“I’ve always been in wine sales. I started working at Scotchman’s Hill in 2008, where I learnt about wine,” he told the Addy in 2020.
“I was only 22 at that stage, so I took on a trainee sales role because I wasn’t really a wine connoisseur. I got the bug of the wine industry and always dreamt of having my own brand one day.
The brand kicked off in 2016, when Mr Marinelli made a small batch of shiraz from the Otway Ranges with the help of a local shiraz maker.
Despite the brand’s new start, 83 cases sold out in four months, and a later 2018 Pinot Gris sold out in five.
“There’s a lot of people that just grow grapes throughout the region,” Ms Marinelli said at the time.
Mt Duneed Estate
Christine Whelan and Bec Hanegraaf have been the driving force behind one of the region’s most iconic venues for many years.
The pair run Mt Duneed Estate in Waurn Ponds, famous for its stunning weddings and regular Day on the Green hosting gig.
The former Pettavel winery was purchased by a group of Geelong families in 2012, and the Mt Duneed Estate label was launched two years later.
“We put our parent hats on and considered what we want as mothers and parents. We also thought about what we like when we go out with big groups of friends,” Ms Whelane told the Addy in 2015 of her vision for the site.
“The answer was a venue that is not pretentious, provides great customer service, delicious food and great beer and wine in a relaxed environment.
“That’s what it is all about.”
Clyde Park
Set against the stunning views of the Moorabool Valley, Clyde Park has long been a favourite dining and wedding destination.
Terry Jongebloed and Sue Dixon moved from Melbourne to the 67ha property more than two decades ago, but had originally been on the lookout for a beachside holiday home.
“I thought we’d have a look at it and discount it because it’s far too big than what we were looking at,” Ms Dixon told the Addy in 2020.
“I have to be honest, you come over the dam wall and see the valley and go ‘Oh my god, is that real?’ That was it.”
The commercial kitchen opened a few years later, and still features local ingredients heavily.
“You bring it all together – the livestock and the chickens and the land and the way the wine is so meticulously cared for,” Clyde Park business development manager David McMahon said in 2020.
“Then you throw it all in through this process of getting it from there onto people’s plates and glasses, it’s just a fantastic process. It’s really genuine.”
Lethbridge Wines
Lethbridge Wines was ranked among the country’s best last year.
Owners Ray Nadeson, Adrian Thomas and Maree Collis took out Vineyard of the Year, Innovative Vineyard of the Year, New Vineyard of the Year and Old Vineyard of the Year at the 2021 Vineyard Awards last year.
The vineyard began when the trio – then in their late 20s and in university studying science and medicine – decided to give the dream a chance.
“It was 25 years ago and we started when we were in our late 20s with a dream,” Ray told the Geelong Advertiser in late 2019. “It’s not a common story as most people start a vineyard quite a bit later, usually as a second career or retirement project and that is certainly not what we did.”
“What drew us to winemaking was that lovely ability to blend science with art. It’s a unique situation where you have three people with PhDs who are all artistically inspired but not afraid to understand the science [behind winemaking].”
Provenance Wines
Award-winning Provenance Wines regularly tops best food and drink lists across the country.
The Fyansford-based winery took out both the James Halliday Wine Companion Best Value Winery and the Gourmet Traveller Wine award in 2019.
Set against the old Paper Mill, owners Scott Ireland and Sam Vogel opened the new space in 2018.
“People who come in here, they always say the same word, ‘wow’,” Mr Ireland said when the space was opened. .
“It makes people smile. We want to welcome people here, and see them enjoying the space.”
Mr Ireland started the business in 1997, with Mr Vogel coming on board in 2006.
The pair’s venture had originally been based at Sutherlands Creek, but when looking to relocate they couldn’t go past the old paper mill building.
“The paper mills is a hidden gem of Geelong,” Mr Ireland.
More Coverage
Originally published as Geelong region winery barons revealed
‘Bureaucratic nightmare’ for paraplegic single mum
For two years NDIS support helped a paraplegic single mum start scuba diving, mountain bike riding, and even flying planes. But she says the agency is taking funding away.
Read more
Council CEO duped into rally calling for administrators
The chief executive of Golden Plains Shire was duped into agreeing to speak at a now-canned rally calling for administrators to be appointed to oversee the organisation he leads.
Read more