Port Philip Estate, Mornington Peninsula, Australia

The Port Phillip Estate winery is owned and operated by the Gjergja family who also own Kooyong Estate. The property is situated at Red Hill in the heart of the beautiful Mornington Peninsula wine region 80km south of Melbourne, Victoria.

The winery emerges from the landscape as a dramatic curved sculpture made of rammed earth. Winemaker, Glen Hayley, has worked at Port Phillip Estate for 12 years focusing on wild ferment Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and some Syrah. Informed by the principles of agro-ecology and permaculture, Port Phillip employs a sustainable farming system that places focus on the improvement of soil biology through the use of compost teas, estate-produced compost, mulch and other natural soil and plant conditioners. Similarly, their practices in the winery are minimalist. The winery is designed to promote movement of fruit and wine via gravity flow, avoiding the use of pumps.