About Winburndale

The vineyard known as Winburndale is situated on Saint Anthony’s Creek Road, Bathurst, New South Wales. It gets its name from the valley christened by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1815, when he made his famous crossing of the Blue Mountains. When he saw the lush valley on the western foothills of the mountain range, he named it ‘Winbourn-Dale’.

The area is old gold-mining country and Mount Fontana is a monument to Carlo Giuseppe Fontana, who first discovered gold on the slopes of the hills of Winbourn-Dale. This is where the Winburndale vineyard is located. The old alluvial soils lie in shallow layers on the slopes and are low in fertility, which means that the vines less vigorous.

The region experiences warm days and cool nights in summer time. The autumns have a long ripening period. This slow ripening produces natural acidity and enhances the flavours. The winters in this region are very cold and the vines go into a true dormancy. The terroir in general is such that the grapes produce exceptional flavours, which in turn make superb wines.

After much searching for the right site for their vineyard, the proprietors finally settled on Mount Fontana. It answered all their questions with regard to climate, soil, landscape, day and night temperatures, amounts of rainfall and its distribution, sunlight, slopes and drainage, all of which are imperative in the pursuit of top quality wines.

There are three vineyards to Winburndale at around 800 metres above sea level, but each has its own micro-climate and special characteristics. They were selected for their individual qualities and for the promise of the features for each wine style. At such an altitude there is always the threat of frost, but the land is rocky and tough and provides the vines some protection.

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Shiraz are available at their Cellar Door.