From a small patch of limestone, an east-facing slope, and 430 million years, comes the ACT’s own picturesque and prolific winery, Mount Majura Vineyard.
During the Silurian period, limestone mixed with volcanic rock to form Mt Majura. Four hundred and thirty million years later, Mount Majura Vineyard sits along its prehistoric east-facing slope. Thanks to that tiny limestone patch, the award-winning vineyard is now 38 hectares in size and creates exquisite wines for wine drinkers to enjoy.
Canberra Daily was privileged to spend a morning at Mount Majura Vineyard chatting with winemaker, Frank van de Loo.
As CW followed Frank through the cellar to chat inside the mill (which affords a captivating view of the bucolic vineyard) a group of buyers tasting their latest vintages all rushed to say hello to him – he was greeted like a celebrity.
Frank says his genuine affection for winemaking comes down to a simple principle: following the Earth’s seasons and taking something as basic as a simple grape and creating something so culturally treasured.
He smiled as he described his job as “a lovely combination of something that’s very basic and earthy and producing something that you’ve grown and made, and you can put on the table and share it with friends”.
“It’s also intellectual. Wine is different depending on where it’s grown. How does that happen and what can you do to influence that and how can we express it?” he said.
“It’s a fascinating subject; something that has art and science combined.”
Frank describes being a winemaker as winning the lottery – his love of the job is obvious from his gleeful expression while describing the process.
Spending the whole year growing the grapes, he says the best time of all is harvest season ,from around the middle of February through until the end of April.
Working nonstop for 10 weeks, everyone at the winery gives their all to ensure they capture the best of what they’ve grown to develop the best wine they possibly can.
“It smells good, it tastes good, everyone likes it,” says Frank, describing how he and his colleagues feel during the harvest.
He says he’s often asked what being a winemaker is like as intricate details about what the profession entails are not widely known.
“‘You’re a winemaker? Oh, tell me all about it!’,” Frank says he is frequently asked.
“I feel lucky to be able to do this. To some extent when I started in the late ’90s, there was a planting boom happening around the country, so it was an opportunity.
“We expanded this vineyard from one hectare to 9.5 hectares in the space of a couple of years, so there was a huge opportunity to be involved and guide and create something and get employment in an industry that’s so interesting.”
His favourite wine sold at Mount Majura Vineyard depends on the day, he says, but he has a soft spot for their flagship wine, Tempranillo.
“If I’ve just been working on the Riesling then I love the Riesling the most, or it can be that way with the Shiraz, too – every wine has a reason,” Frank smiles.
Quick history of Mt Majura Vineyard
Running across the hill is the original patch that was planted in 1988 by the previous owner of Mount Majura Vineyard, Dinny Killen.
She owned the whole property and was famously friends with Edgar Riek, one of the pioneers of the Canberra district’s grape-growing industry.
“Edgar pointed out to her that there’s limestone here on an east-facing slope, and he thought ‘oh, that’s like burgundy’. So, he thought potentially it was a great vineyard, so we should plant grapes here,” Frank says.
“So, they did that together, and about 10 years later, I came on board, helped Dinny, and helped with the transition to new owners.
“The current owners are a group of wine enthusiasts, if you like, who took it over and we expanded the vineyard to much bigger than the one original hectare.”
A prized and popular winery within the Canberra region, the Mount Majura Vineyard team are working hard to ensure it stays that way for centuries to come.
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