Mongrel Vineyard

In 1986 Sue and David Fairlie-Cuninghame purchased a 50ha property on Spring Flat, 6km east of the Mudgee township. It was a weekend retreat, and the main occupation was (and remains) fattening steers. But wine was in their blood: both were founding members of The Rothbury Estate, and Sue was Executive Editor Food & Wine at Vogue Entertaining for over 10 years, adding, ‘I was influenced by many leading winemakers from all over the world, but not one of them ever told me what bloody back-breaking work it is, the discipline required and how dodgy the returns.' So it was in 1998 that they planted a shiraz vineyard on their property, using six of the principal clones. The name was chosen because of the uncontrollable vigour of the vines, itself a legacy of the time when a sheepyard had existed where the vines were planted, providing the soil with an inexhaustible supply of nitrogen. -JAMES HALLIDAY