Our Story
The planning of Brown Magpie Wines started in 1998.
Through Shane’s love of fine wine and Loretta’s love of viticulture, this venture was born.
The property we selected is ideal for the purpose. It consists of 20 hectares on a gentle, north facing slope: the cypress trees, planted on the western and southern borders, provide a warm, sheltered site.
Situated in Modewarre, which is just a stone’s throw from Moriac just a few kilometres from Geelong, it is in the hinterland of the Surf Coast and the Great Ocean Road.
Our name comes from the rare brown and white magpies that live on the site.
our story – Region
Wine was grown in the Geelong region from the earliest colonial days. Vines planted by Swiss settlers quickly created Victoria’s largest grape growing region, and one of the largest in the nation.
However, in the late 1800’s, as a result of an outbreak of phylloxera (a pest that attacks the vine roots) all vines from the Geelong region had to be destroyed.
From the mid 1960’s, Daryl and Nini Sefton planted vines in the Moorabool Valley. Since then grape growing and wine making have flourished so much so that that Geelong is now widely recognised as one of Australia’s premium wine growing regions with more than 60 vineyards.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Brown Magpie Wines is nestled into the hinterland of the Otway Ranges. In many ways, this has influenced our philosophy. We feel we are very much part of the local area. Our grapes are wholly estate grown.
awards & trophies
Brown Magpie Wines has nine hectares of grapevines, which were planted in 2001 and 2002. The vineyard is in Modewarre, near Geelong, and it produces cool climate wines.
The pinot noir, shiraz, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay are currently producing. The vineyard displays a range of soils from sandy loam to light clay, and our water supply is fresh rainwater from our dam and water tanks.
our vineyard
Brown Magpie Wines has nine hectares of grapevines, which were planted in 2001 and 2002. The vineyard is in Modewarre, near Geelong, and it produces cool climate wines.
grape varieties
The maritime influenced cool climate region where the Brown Magpie vineyard is located has influenced the decisions on grape vine variety selection. The soils and soil structure are similar to other premium grape growing regions around the world. Under a thin layer of sandy loam there are layers of different types of clay, eventually leading to estuary marl, then limestone. The main varieties planted are Pinot Noir (Mv6, 777,114,115), Shiraz and Pinot Gris. These varieties make up the majority of the planting. There are also some small patches of Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. The vines are all grafted and the average age is 15 years. Yields vary according to seasonal conditions. The aim is to harvest between five (Pinot Noir) and ten (Shiraz) metric tons per hectare.