My sister owns a vineyard and winery called Curly Flat. The name comes from a cartoon tale by Michael Leunig about a character called Mr Curly and his vineyard – Curly Flat. While the business of running a vineyard requires hard work and diligence, the name is there to remind them not to take themselves too seriously.
The vineyard was started from scratch almost 2o years ago on a great site near Lancefield in the Macedon region, the coolest wine growing area in Australia. There is now 14 hectares under vine, mostly Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a little Pinot Gris.
The winery was completed in 2002, allowing the grapes to be processed on site. Beside the winery is Vintage Hall, the tasting rooms in the original sandstone cottage. The setting is magnificent. The rolling hills of the area are reminiscent of Tuscany. The only things missing are the Cypress pines and the Italian Villas.
Looking from Vintage Hall accross the lake, to the vines
Looking from the vines towards the winery
Curly Flat wines are stocked in many well known restaurants all over Australia and consistently receive high ratings from wine writers. Jancis Robinson named Curly Flat pinot her favourite in Australia. The years of hard work and painstaking attention to detail are paying off. The theory is that if the grapes are good the wine will be good.
There is a lovely description in Michael Leunig’s story about Curly Flat wine. ” The locals have never bothered to describe the taste or construction of their wines, but after drinking a couple of glasses they are inclined to become very eloquent in describing the way it makes them feel.” I think that says it all.
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