2023 is the year Vineyard 28 turns 25. It’s quite a milestone and one we feel is worthy of celebration. This year also happens to be our 30^th Wedding Anniversary.

How did we get to 25 years?

It all started 34 years ago in Melbourne; the Kiwi girl met the West Aussie boy whilst working for the same company. There was a spark, a date and as it is often said,  the rest is history.

We quickly discovered we both had a shared interest in travel and wine. Whilst living in Melbourne, you’d find us ‘up country’ chasing down some obscure winery or helping out our friends in their wineries. The search for different varieties and wine styles began all the way back then.

Travel was a big thing, and it was Mark’s dream to traverse Africa. So, in 1991 we quit our jobs and took off for the UK, embarking on an overland trip from Morocco, through Algeria, across the Sahara down into West Africa. Have to say there wasn’t much wine on that trip – mostly beer. 1992 was spent living and working in the UK and traveling as much as possible.

Upon returning to Australia in 1993, we announced we were getting married. A huge wedding party was thrown for all the friends and family back at ‘359’ -the Cumbers family home in Australind – over the Australia Day Long weekend. Wine was of course a feature of this event, a fine selection from Killerby’s and the Moss Brothers.

Settling back into working life in Melbourne a house was bought, our first child Bailey was born, and we still spent most weekends chasing wine. All through that time was the phrase “one day we’ll start our own vineyard”. This was the beginning of our dream.

In early 1997 city life and raising a child with no family support was fast losing its appeal, so we decided to move back West to where Mark’s family was. Mark would get a job, we’d buy some land, hopefully with a house on it, and we’d start our own vineyard. It was meant to be, as Mark had a job offer quickly, the house we owned sold within 2 weeks, and within a couple of months we found ourselves living temporarily in Mandurah looking for the dream property.

One should point out at this stage – we didn’t actually know that much about growing grapes or winemaking – we were just really good at sampling the final product.

270 Bagieau Road

Bagieau Road which became Vineyard 28 was found by accident one weekend, on the way down to visit the family in Australind. Back then there was a house, some paddocks, a few trees and horses roaming.  A second visit was organised a few weeks later and soil samples were be taken to see if it was even remotely possible to grow grapes there. Everything lined up, and the position close to the highway was considered ideal, so bargaining hard, they took possession and moved in on Boxing Day, December 1997.

The Dream Begins

In Spring 1998 the first vines were planted at Vineyard 28. It started out with a small trial block just to get the hang of growing these things. Then each year it just kept expanding. Initially with the Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc and Nebbiolo blocks. We realised very early on that we needed a point of difference, and Nebbiolo provided that opportunity, thus the decision to travel the Italian path. With industry assistance we planted the first Arneis vines and then a few years later Dolcetto.

The cellar door has been in operation for 18 years this year and it has gone through many changes. Starting out just doing tastings, to now focusing on providing the ‘28’ Wine and Grazing Experience as well as tours. During that time the family grew up and Jasper the red cloud kelpie grew older too.

Milestones

A few of our major milestones over the years include opening the Cellar Door in 2005, winning our first ever Gold medal in 2011 for the 2011 Arneis at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. This was also the same year Mark took on the responsibility of making all our wines. A few years later in 2014 we leased Wildwater Vineyard and starting growing Pignoletto, Dolcetto, Barbera and Montepulciano up there. We were very proud in 2018 to receive a trophy for Best Red Italian Variety for the 2018 Dolcetto at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. Then again in 2022 we were overjoyed with receiving the trophy for Best Geographe White Wine at the 2022 WA Alternative Varieties Wine Show for our Fiano.

What’s Next?

There is always something exciting and new to explore in the wine industry. Pippa is currently studying her Diploma of Digital Technology(Wine) to better understand how to use IoT (Internet of things) in the vineyard. Mark is constantly looking for the next variety to pioneer and ways to keep raising the bar on the wines he’s already producing.

Each year the seasons are different and sometimes they bring us new challenges and adventures.

Over the next 12 months our emphasis is moving towards providing more wine experiences and events for our Cellar Club members. The cellar door itself will slowly move towards being open by appointment and bookings only.

We look forward to sharing our next adventures in wine with you all!

June 2021 – Mark & Pip’s Holiday Adventure

South Australia was awesome folks. We loved it. So much history, great little towns dotted all over the place with original stone buildings and interesting architecture.

Getting there wasn’t without adventure though. It seems 2021 wasn’t done with us quite yet. This holiday was meant to be a road trip, but an encounter with a large kangaroo just outside Salmon Gums ended that very quickly. The big buck jumped on the car and made confetti of the front drivers side of our Kluger.There wasn’t even a recognizable headlight left. The roo basically going at full speed and just ran into us!

Anyway, after some re-organising and much assistance from family we still got away to SA. This time via the flying kangaroo, Qantas into Adelaide where we picked up a hire car and carried on.

Highlights and Recommendations

Visit the National Wine Centre in Adelaide – an opportunity to taste and experience 52 different wine styles from across Australia. Head sommelier James Boden has created a great experience, and if you’re lucky you’ll spot a Vineyard 28 wine in the line up from time to time.

Robe – a gorgeous seaside village that we arrived in via travelling along the Coorong from Meningie, made famous by Heather Ewart in her ABC series ‘Backroads’. Robe had fabulous cliffside walks or cycle tracks if you like two wheels, and like many towns some fab old buildings. If you’re traveling with a caravan then head for the Beachport Caravan Park, all grass overlooking the beach. It would be superb in summer.

Flinders Ranges – definitely put this on the list. You can 4-wheel drive, haul a caravan in or just travel in a car. The most spectacular scenery. We stayed at Rawnsley Park Station and did some walks there and day trips. Absolute best thing was a helicopter flight over Wilpena Pound, gifted to us by our kids (they thought we needed cheering up after the car and kangaroo incident). Flinders is an amazing, ever changing landscape with just so much to see.

Wine and Food

In terms of wine regions, McLaren Vale was cool, we found lots of interesting alternative producers like ourselves there, Oliver’s Tarranga, Lino Ramble and Coriole were our faves. Of course we had to visit D’Arrenbergs – ‘The Cube’. Great views from up there, and if you like quirky weird art and creations then you’ll enjoy this place. We had one of our best lunches there with a great view out over the region.

In Adelaide Hills we also found a quirky cellar door with some interesting art and wines called ArtWine. We drove the Coonawarra strip, where there were grapevines for miles. Pip was happy that they weren’t hers to prune!

Bellwether was our favourite along here, housed in the 1868 Glen Roy shearing shed. So much atmosphere, and some delicious wines enjoyed beside the open fire.

Our last stop for a few days was in Tanunda, Barossa before flying home. Great little town to stay in with fabulous wine bars and food. You could almost wine taste and eat your way down the main street in the evening. We would recommend the 1918 restaurant, housed in a house dating back to 1918. Great wine list and delicious food. A great base to explore the Barossa in all directions.

Best Wine of the trip

Mark’ pick was the Wangolina – Gruner Veltliner

Anita Goode is the winemaker a Wangolina. Her winery is in Mt Benson, about 15 to 20 mins from Robe. Like many of us Anita has a keen interest in the lesser known varieties. A bottle of her Lagrein found its way home with us.

Pip’s pick was the Lino Ramble – Arinto.

Lino Ramble is in the Mclaren Vale. It is Two friends and a common thread: childhood adventures on the faithful treadlie,  lino floors, vinyl records, and board games. Their grape varieties are chosen with a focus on sustainability, intrigue and above all else, drinkability.

Best Wine Experience – That’s a tough one, as we had some great wine tasting experiences.

One has to be Yalumba which surprised us. Sitting by an open fire, being led thru a tasting by a very knowledgeable guide in a building steeped in history. Having the opportunity to taste their flagship Cab Shiraz, “The Caley” and for Mark seeing the cooperage where they make their own barrels of course.

The other would have to Oliver’s Tarranga, a small stone cellar door. Getting to taste wines, again with a very knowledgeable guide, but accompanied by warm oven roasted almonds, lavosh bread and a soft sheep’s cheese.

We would highly recommend exploring South Australia, so diverse a countryside with so much history tucked away in it’s little towns. There was always something to see. Of course the wine and food was also pretty good too. In the spirit of business research of course,  we tasted lots of Italians – Fiano, Dolcetto, Barbera, Montepulciano and Vermentino.  There were some great examples of these, and occasionally some not so great. Different growing conditions, climate and wine making make for interesting tasting experiences. Quite a few have made their way home, so we’ll have to let you know how they go.

It is with much sadness that we share the news that Jasper, our beloved Cellar Door Concierge has passed away. The time has come for us to farewell our fabulous furry family member, known to our many customers and their dogs.

Jasper’s Story – 01 April 2006 to 31 May 2021

The Christmas of 2005 Pippa received a gift card stating that her present from the family that year wouldn’t be available until April. When April arrived, Pip got a phone call to say she could come and choose her present. So off to Lake Clifton, Pip and Gab trotted to choose the newest addition to our family.

Jasper was born to champion red cloud kelpies, and he was one of only two in the litter. Gab was keen to cuddle the puppies of course, and we’ll never really know why, but Jasper stood out from his brother and came home with them that day. We often reckon Jasper was very lucky, as his brother went off to live in Tom Price. Those who knew Jasper will remember, he never ever liked really hot days, air conditioning was invented for him, so just as well he was chosen to come live with us.

Jasper commenced life in the family, under the direction of 2 kids, parents and the senior family dog, Garvin. (A black kelpie/border collie cross). Garvin was our first family dog, having made the move back to the west with us, and he was the inaugural vineyard dog. He transitioned very well from being a Melbourne dog to a country one.

Sadly, in June 2006, Garvin at just over the age of 13 had a stroke and commenced his forever sleep that same day.  We had hoped he would be around longer to knock the new dog into shape. Instead, those duties fell to our neighbours’ dog, Bundie, also a black kelpie. Bundie would visit regularly to make sure this new puppy in the neighborhood knew his place.

Jasper grew up alongside our kids, the development of the cellar door, and of course all the visitors who came as well. He loved walking in the bush around where we live, and he loved the beach. Visiting Preston Beach when the kids were swimming was great fun, especially barking at the waves. When the family took holidays, he mostly stayed at home with his favorite dog sitter, Steve, who he loved due to the sharing of vegemite toast each morning.

The first winter, when he was only a puppy, Jasper thought he’d help out with the pruning in the vineyard. That was until it rained. What was this wet stuff falling on him? Not liking it at all he positioned himself between Steve’s legs, ensuring the big raincoat covered him so he wouldn’t get wet!

Jasper worked 14 vintages with the crew, and every winter pruning session. In the last few years, he shortened his working day considerably and would often only visit in the vineyard for a short time before retiring to his beloved couch at the house. All our workers knew when they had reached the end of a row, because Jasper would always bark at them, as if to say you’re done now, we can go in. Morning tea and lunchtime were his favoured times of the day, as well as breakfast and dinner, well basically anything to do with food ranked very highly with Jasper!

Many of you will know Jasper as the brown furry dog, with a dodgy nose who greeted you when you first came to the cellar door. Jasper would sit on the lawn waiting for customers. When COVID-19 came along he was very confused as no-one visited for 3 months. Jasper loved other dogs visiting, and throughout his 15 years as concierge, welcomed and befriended many.

His first best doggy friend was Bundie, who being older was in charge. Then of course Kipper, who often came to stay when her family were on holidays. Jasper was much photographed and filmed.  A memorable day was when a bus load of Scottie dogs and their owners came to visit the cellar door. Jasper even starred in his own movie, ‘Jasper’s View of the Day’ made by our son, Bailey. Then again in 2019 in a short piece called ‘Jasper’s Holiday’.

These last few years have been quieter for Jasper and slower. Arthritis in his back legs and a trapped nerve in his lower back restricted his movement and ability to go for long walks. Instead, a slow stroll around the vineyard each morning became his thing before retiring to his couch for a long nap. Some days he would miss all the action at the cellar door, and other days he’d be there meeting and greeting.

Jasper gave unconditional love to us all. He was a much-loved family member, and brought much laughter and joy into our home, and the occasional frustration when he rolled in something ‘dead’. He loved meeting new people at the cellar door and will be forever known to many as the Vineyard 28 Concierge.

Jasper – we will miss your presence in our lives. RIP – our dear ‘furritable’. Sleep peacefully xx