An inside look at the new era of named vineyards

I’ve been meaning to write this story for years.

It’s been a motivation every time I see ‘Malakoff Vineyard’ or ‘Willowlake’ on a wine label. Or every time I’ve seen a reference about buying fruit from the Meadowbank or the Swinney Vineyard. At every point I’ve wondered – how does that relationship work? How does it play out when a vineyard has a reputation as big, or sometimes bigger, than a producer?

So, in the brand-new August/edition of Gourmet Traveller WINE I’m diving deeper in a bid to find out. I’ve interviewed growers, winemakers, owners, brokers and more in a bid to understand what it’s like working with a ‘named vineyard’ and learnt plenty along the way (with lots that I just couldn’t print).

If you’re anything like me, you’re interested in this story too. Well worth a read in the magazine, or you can view it online here.

(Feature photo is the Malakoff Vineyard – from Facebook).