Underground Winemakers

Owned by Adrian Hennessy, Jonathon Stevens and Peter Stebbing. Each has made wine in Alsace, Burgundy, Northern Italy and Swan Hill and each has extensive experience in the vineyards and wineries of the Mornington Peninsula. Their first step, in 2004, was to lease a small winery at Mt Eliza that had closed years earlier, but still had a vineyard with some of the oldest plantings of pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay on the peninsula. Their portfolio is nothing if not eclectic: Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula, and Durif, Moscato, Cabernet Merlot and Shiraz from Northern and Central Victoria. The San Pietro wines are made according to the philosophy of traditional Italian winegrower San Pietro, who has vineyards in the hills south of Benalla and the Mornington Peninsula (more information at www.sanpietrowine.com). -JAMES HALLIDAY