In 1975, Rosalie and Nat White (Rhonda’s sister and brother-in-law) bought a lemon orchard at Main Ridge, near Red Hill and Arthurs Seat, on the Mornington Peninsula. Their goal was to establish a vineyard and make wine that they hoped would be of exceptional quality.
From a risky beginning …
With all but one of the lemon trees soon uprooted, several acres were planted with Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Meunier and Merlot vines.
All of this was done at considerable risk. The Mornington Peninsula was not a proven grape growing region then, with just one small non-commercial vineyard; would vines successfully take to this area? Further, the lemon orchard was elevated, at two hundred metres or so above sea level; would it be too cold to produce grapes of quality? The term ‘cool climate’ was hardly mentioned in Australian wine circles in those days, and except for Cabernet, the grape varieties they planted weren’t well known; could the Australian consumer be convinced?
The financial risks were also significant as vineyards and wineries don’t come cheaply: with much to be borrowed, how long would it be before they could give up their respective day jobs of teacher and engineer? And it is one thing to plant the vines and pick the grapes, but could Nat make good wines, or as he hoped, outstanding wines?
In 1979, the first picking occurred, consisting of mere buckets of grapes. The first crushing took place in the garage at their former house, using a tomato juicer! We were fortunate enough to be present, along with Rhonda’s parents, Gwyn and Beryl, and Lorraine and Sasha (the other sister and brother-in-law).
The vines flourished …
The first real vintage was in 1980. For the first few years, Rhonda’s Dad helped make the wines. Gwyn was a retired industrial chemist with the fastidious laboratory skills required for fine wine making. Driven by the adage “necessity is the mother of invention” he set up a laboratory in the cellar of his house which would be used until a laboratory at the vineyard became fully functional.
In the meantime, the vines flourished while Nat undertook studies in viticulture and oenology. Nat and Gwyn set up the Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association.
While the Gewürztraminer was a wonderful wine, the vines were eventually grafted over to other varieties as the crop was always small, with the bunches difficult to pick. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines were also grafted over because the vineyard conditions were not producing grapes of the best quality. By the late 1980s, Nat and Rosalie had settled on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as the two varieties most suited for the vineyard. Nat’s goal was to match the best of French wines from the Burgundy region.
For many years the grapes were picked by family and friends and their friends and their families. There could be thirty to fifty pickers, starting at around 8.30 am and finishing at around 1.00 pm, with a morning tea of fresh fruit buns in between.
The ‘apres-picking’ lunch was a feast of salads and barbecued meats, and ample bottles of Main Ridge and Mornington Peninsula wines to try. A highlight was always Rosalie’s whole baked pumpkin, filled with salami, cheese, tomatoes and cream.
For the recipe, click here: Whole Baked Pumpkin.
While the vines matured and the quality of the wines improved, their two children, Dominic and Annalise, grew from childhood to adulthood and then parenthood. The family dogs were always somewhere to be found.
And the great wines happened
With determination to achieve the highest quality, the acclaim for Main Ridge Chardonnay and Pinot Noir gradually accumulated then eventually snow-balled:
• with their wine being served in First Class cabins on Qantas
• to being awarded rare Gold Star status in Robin Bradley’s acclaimed guide to Australian wine vintages
• to receiving a Five Star Rating in just twenty awarded by Jeremy Oliver in his Australian Wine Annual from the tens of thousands of table wines made in Australia today
• to Main Ridge Estate being named by Australian Gourmet Traveller, along with those making Penfolds Grange Hermitage, Mount Mary and Henschke Hill of Grace, as one of the eighteen iconic wineries in the country.
Leaving many wonderful memories
Over the last forty years, Main Ridge Estate wines have provided countless numbers of people from all over the world with countless pleasurable experiences, whether from sampling the wine, from being a privileged member of the picker brigade or by visiting the property set in its amazing greenery and colour. The winery was the venue for winery celebration events as well as for Christmas Dinner for thirty to forty people every year and for their legendry New Year’s Eve party.
Rosalie and Nat have an extraordinary number of friends, all of whom would wish them well in the next stage of their lives as they farewell their creation.