Winemaking at Austin's

austins vineyard

 Vineyard

Sitting on the ocean floor some 20,000 years ago, only to be reclaimed as land by millennia of volcanic activity, Geelong’s Moorabool Valley sub-region is made up of a tough limestone and basalt base, which forms this sub-region’s unique terroir; providing ideal free-draining soil for our grapevines.

Moorabool Valley’s cool climate is largely continental by nature but still moderated to some extent by its proximity to the ocean, providing perfect conditions to grow world-class wines. All vines are planted north–south, trained vertically, and canopies are managed to provide sufficient light and air into the fruit zone, maximising quality and vine health. Judicious irrigation is applied during the growing season to maintain healthy vine growth to assist even ripening, which is the key to quality fruit.

Over 30 years of winemaking history

Harnessing more than 30 years of winemaking experience, Austin’s is dedicated to growing and producing single vineyard, premium wines proudly made for special occasions.  We want to encourage, educate, inform, share and demonstrate how premium wine can be enjoyed on several levels.

Specialising in the production of pinot noir, extending its range to include riesling, chardonnay, shiraz and most recently, limited release varietals; cuvée and the Curated Collection

With experienced Chief Winemaker, Dwayne Cunningham at the helm, the Austin’s winemaking team’s philosophy is to respect the quality of the fruit and the Moorabool Valley terroir, bringing balance and harmony of both the structural components and flavour of wine. This results in refined, precise, balanced wines, with a strong fruit focus.

Dwayne Cunningham - Head winemaker

Winemaker: Dwayne Cunningham

Dwayne’s career began in Coonawarra working at Wynns as a 17 year old, before moving to Adelaide to complete a Bachelor of Oenology/Viticulture in 2011 at the University of Adelaide. Dwayne has worked in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek, Rheinhessen (Germany) and Marlborough in New Zealand. In 2015 Dwayne became a winemaker at Paxtons in McLaren Vale where he made Organic, Biodynamic wine for 5 years before moving on to his next challenge; making Pinot and Chardonnay in the Moorabool Valley for Austin’s Wines.

Dwayne’s approach to developing a new wine is to first understand what you can expect from the vineyard and work your way forward. For example if he loves the brightness of a certain block and the tannin structure and weight of another block stands out, blending the both together creates an intriguing style that has aspects of both.