Wolseley Wines

Situated on the gently sloping hills of Paraparap, just off the Great Ocean Road inland from Bells Beach Torquay, Victoria, lies Wolseley Wines. With its cool climate and maritime influences combined with gravely ironstone soils, the vineyard produces a remarkable Pinot Noir and other quality wines.

Established in 1992, Wolseley Wines has been a result of years of hard work by winemaker Will Wolseley. His basic philosophy is to grow wines in as much harmony as possible with the existing natural environment, coupled with a very traditional approach to the making of the wine- interfering as little as possible with the fermentation and maturation process.

Who is Will Wolseley?

Will's search for a site for the vineyard...

After a series of setbacks in the early years (including hailstorms, frosts and droughts)which delayed commercial production until 1998. The last five years have seen dramatic improvements in crop yields and quality despite the drought in Australia and the vines having been unirrirgated during that period. The area planted now includes Pinot Noir (5 acres), Cabernet Sauvignon (4 acres), Shiraz (2 acres), Cabernet Franc (1 acre), Chardonnay (2 acres) and Semillon (1 acre).

Winemaking
The grapes are hand picked and the winemaking processes rely on individualised traditional hands-on methods far removed from those used in typical Australian bulk wine production. There is an emphasis on the hand-made and the tradition in these winemaking processes. The grapes for red wine are hand-picked, crushed and de-stemmed, then fermented in small two-thousand litre vats for ten to fifteen days, then pressed and stored in French barriques for one or two years. No pumps or filtering are used. White wines are barrel-fermented and left for one year in a barrel prior to bottling.

An unusual feature of Wolseley Wines is that the winery runs on solar power, so that the grapes are even pressed by the power of the sun. Presently under construction are several solar cabins that are due for completion during 2008. These cabins will be available for wine-lovers and staff alike. Plans have been drawn for a semi-underground cellar for wine production and storage.

WOLSELEY WINES