Our Review
This is the venture of father Peter, wife Chris and daughter Elke Davies. In 1983 the family purchased what they describe as 'a clapped out sheep paddock' on the side of a small valley with 180-degree views, 20 mins drive from Canberra. It was a gradual process, with Peter employed by the Federal Department of the Environment, and a background in agriculture dating back to the late 1960s. Elke became involved in hospitality as a part-time job while obtaining her first university degree; she then got a 'real job' in the public service, and also lived in London for a while. Peter and Chris had given her 24 bottles of wine from her birth year for her 21st birthday, and all the pieces ultimately came together with her decision to enrol in the CSU wine science course. This in turn provoked the planting of a 2.5ha vineyard to equal amounts of merlot, riesling and pinot noir. -JAMES HALLIDAY