Southern Light Vineyards:
A passion for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Southern Light Vineyards’ mission is to reveal the diversity and elegance inherent in these varieties, expressed through four distinct Victorian terroirs.
Our name acknowledges the unique quality of the sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere and the influence it has, not just on ripening the fruit but on our management of the vine canopy, soil nutrition, row orientation, and clonal selection across our four vineyards.
Our core philosophy is attention to detail at every stage of the winemaking process, from soil to glass. We believe that only through such hands-on attention can we produce the finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Building on
a generational legacy
For more than 50 years, the Valmorbida family has been involved with every aspect of fine wine, from sourcing and selling to making and distribution. Now this historic custodianship has been complemented by Southern Light Vineyards’ team of passionate, experienced viticulturists and winemakers.
With Southern Light Vineyards, John Valmorbida, founder of Joval Wines, honours the past while also looking to the future for the family’s next generations. Calling it “our Dawn Chorus”, the project represents the culmination of a lifetime’s experience with – and a love for – fine wine.
Growers and Makers
VITICULTURE
Each vineyard offers up its own rewards and challenges. Considering the effects of light, altitude, orientation, soil composition, clonal selection and canopy management, we carry out all pruning and harvesting by hand, focusing on balanced crops to ensure the highest quality fruit.
WINEMAKING
Selecting only the best fruit from the vineyard, we ferment each block separately in a mix of new and old oak barrels. Keeping each parcel separate allows us to blend the best and most balanced wines each year, always aiming to makes wines of both place and time.
