Burgundy on a volcano? It’s evolution not revolution but it’s still a big shift
In February 1864, The Age profiled the Ewerby Vineyard on Mount Moriac, noting rows of “Burgundy” (Pinot Noir) vines planted as early as 1854 and thriving at 400-500 feet above sea level.
Unfortunately for those pioneers of the wine trade in Victoria, within a few decades, phylloxera (a tiny insect pest that destroys vineyards and is still a major scourge for wineries in Victoria today) had erased those plantings.
Looking back at those records, one thing stands out above everything about that super early foray into the world of wine:
Those guys truly had a mean eye for a quality piece of dirt!
Yes mum, we are growing grapes on a volcano!
We are just like our prescient forbears way back in the 19th century who obviously had a good idea even back then that the combination of soils on this ancient volcano was ripe for producing grapes (and wines) of the highest quality.
We had to tell Mum about it when we took over the reins at Mount Moriac Wines in March 2024 and she loved the volcano story.
We are three brothers with the Surf Coast running through our veins, and for us, the black cracking clay, basalt, buckshot and sandy loam beneath a 25-year-old vineyard was a chance to get our hands on a true gem.
Pretty much a hidden gem.
Our plan was simple — get to work, make the vineyard better, and if the wine’s good enough, people will figure it out.
We’ve been quietly working away together with our fantastic winemaker Alex Byrne and Vineyard Manager Nev and while there’s still plenty to do, we reckon it’s time to start telling the story.
Our slightly schizophrenic little climate pocket
On one side, the Otways with the coast and The Great Ocean Road just beyond.
On the other, the open stretch that geologists call the parched Western Victoria Plains.
We sit in a slightly schizophrenic little climate pocket, where Southern Ocean weather can sweep in from the south-west, split over the Ranges, and leave us wondering if we’re in for rain or a baking afternoon.
Since early last year though, it’s mostly been on the dry side — a serious practical test right out of the gate in how to manage a vineyard in a record dry year.
That included the disappointment of drilling two expensive bore holes that produced exactly zero litres of water.
Score that one to the ancient volcano!
Pick differently, think differently
We made the decision to hand-pick the entire vineyard for the 2024 vintage and Alex implemented single block Pinot Noir fermentations and a new French oak programme in his first full vintage.
When the fruit came in it went straight into those single block ferments — a sort of crash course in our first go at understanding the nuances of each of our five pinot blocks and the three pinot clones we have planted.
We just wanted to see what each block could do.
The results?
Pretty gratifying…
A 2024 pinot release already being swallowed whole by our Mount Moriac Wines family AND the serious wine trade — with the even more exciting prospect of the vineyard’s first-ever single block reserve pinot noir to be released pre-Christmas.
Our goal is clear.
We want Mount Moriac Wines to be known for producing high-quality, cool-climate wines that absolutely reflect this unique place and this soil.
Thanks for following along
If you’ve been following the journey so far — thanks.
Every step and mis-step (and let me tell you there have already been plenty of painful face-plant style ones) we’ve taken has been about building something that lasts.
It is evolution, not revolution — but the vineyard’s got more to give, and we’re just getting started.
We’ll keep you posted.
See you in the vineyard.
– John
