A short 30km drive up the Valley from the popular Victorian getaway of Bright, you’ll find the quaint town of Myrtleford. It’s the perfect holiday destination, rich in character and Italian culture with a strong community spirit. Not only is Myrtleford the home of the Billy Button Cellar Door that we share with Bush Track Wines, it’s a thriving hub of activity which makes for a memorable trip away, a weekend escape from Melbourne (only 240km away) or a short stint from regional NSW.
Due to the catastrophic smoke taint in our Alpine Valleys vineyards and our call for a ‘no harvest’ we went a little further afield to find fruit to harvest for our Billy Button 2020 vintage. In doing so we added a further four grape varieties not handled before at Billy Button. Jo received a call from winemaker Lillian Carter of Symphonia Vineyard near Myrrhee in the King Valley. Lilian knew we were in deep trouble and offered a small parcel of Symphonia’s ‘Petit Manseng’ to help us out. Jo readily accepted the offer as she had seen some lovely examples of ‘Petit Manseng’ each year at the Australian Alternate Varieties Wineshow from some of the 20 or so producers in Australia including our Alpine Valleys friends at Ringer Reef!
Amphorae (or ‘Giara’) are terracotta containers of basically between 400 and 600 litres, but can be larger. This completely ancient technology is now in use by modern winemakers in Italy, France, California and now Australia.
The 2020 vintage had its issues but we were able to get a few different varietals out for you to enjoy. Luckily our growers and the local community have rallied in tough times. We were still able to secure fruit from within Victoria from the Chalmers Vineyard in Heathcote, the famous Drumborg Vineyard and from a long term friend and grower in Bendigo. We also harvested with some Riesling from Croucher.
Visiting the Alpine Valleys in Victoria and love wine? Head to Myrtleford where you will find our new cellar door, in partnership with our friends at Bush Track Wines. After a summer of bushfires, smoke and anxiety, we’re relieved to finally throw the doors open to welcome locals and tourists alike to our second home in Myrtleford. Bring your empty esky and fill it with a fabulous selection of delicious and interesting wines and cheeses from local producers.
Long term exposure to smoke can impact grape vines. Our winemakers answer all your questions about smoke taint from the bushfires and its affect on wine.
In the recently released 2020 Halliday Wine Companion, Billy Button received our best results yet, achieving the coveted 5 Star winery rating with 5 wines scoring 95 or above. We also received 5 stars for both our sister brands Shy Susan and Claypot Wines, with Shy Susan also winning the award for Best New Winery.
