Gemtree Vineyards, McLaren Vale

According to James Halliday in his 2010 Australian Wine Companion, Gemtree Vineyards is ‘a 5 star winery and one of only ten 'dark horses' in Australia – one of a highly subjective selection of ten wineries who have excelled over the past 12 months and do have that little bit extra’.

Gemtree Vineyards is owned and run by third generation grapegrowers, the Buttery Family.  The family is dedicated to producing iconic wines of the highest quality from their McLaren Vale vineyards, which since 2008 have been farmed biodynamically.

They are passionate about sound environmental practices, sustainable agriculture and innovation, both in the vineyards and in the winery, where winemaker Mike Brown pushes the boundaries of experimentation with biodynamic wines and alternative winemaking practices.

Mike Brown's winemaking philosophy is straightforward — working in tandem with the viticulturist is paramount to the final quality of the fruit. Choices made in the vineyard from pruning through to harvesting will determine the ultimate characteristic of the wine. Mike believes in minimal intervention across all stages of the winemaking process.  The result is wines which are powerful, concentrated, and express the true characteristics of each variety and the region.