WINEMAKING

Our approach to winemaking centres on gentle handling, small-batch fermentation and maturation. Hand harvesting is essential for our Chardonnay, allowing us to select only the finest bunches and minimise phenolic pick-up before pressing. For Pinot Noir, it also gives us the opportunity to include whole bunches in the ferment, adding lift, spice, and aromatic complexity.

Each batch is treated with the focus it deserves. We ferment every block individually, maturing them separately in dedicated cool or warm rooms to guide each wine through its ideal trajectory. At year’s end, every parcel is assessed for quality and its expression of place. Only those that truly speak of the vineyard are selected, and from these we blend to craft wines of balance, clarity and intensity.

“We only use the best oak barrels from coopers that respect the fruit. We are not aiming for a big woody imprint on the wines; we use new oak to lift the fruit and help carry it to the finish, adding length and line.”

– Anthony Fikkers, Head of Winemaking & Viticulture

Thoughtful winemaking extends beyond the cellar, shaping how we power and operate our winery. Our solar array at Southern Light Vineyards has been transformative. Wineries are often remote and off major power infrastructure, yet they’re perfectly suited to solar, with most energy use occurring during bright, sunny harvest days. Our 100kW ground-mounted panels and 200kWh battery bank now power the winery, making us one of the few in Victoria with a system of this scale.