NIKAU FARM WINES

Nikau Farm is home to myself, my wife Hannah and our two children River & Rata. It is an expansive property of about 95 acres in the Baw Baw region of Gippsland, Victoria. It sits high on a group of ranges in a place known to the indigenous peoples of this country as ‘Tolone’

The country is a series of very steep hillsides descending into deep gullies with remnants of the old growth Eucalypt forests that used to spread across the land. The soils here are quite unique and are comprised mostly of compacted sandstone from ancient seabeds with a rich organic layer of highly fertile loam across the top of them. The climate is also unique having Mediterranean influences being in fairly close proximity to the coast whilst having relatively high rainfall and cool nights because of the elevation and exposure.

We have had custody of this property for 7 years now and in that time we have established large vegetable gardens, orchards, mixed grazing animals and flocks of runner ducks as well as chickens and other birds to increase the overall bio-diversity. So far there has been one entire hillside planted back to native forest on the property (Vic mountain Ash) and we have another earmarked for regeneration of more local native species later this year. We also have a 25 year old olive grove which has been nurtured back to fruition and have plans to plant another small orchard next to this in the near future.

The property has two small plots  (0.75h each) of vines on it, both about 35 years old.  Neither of these plots (or the farm as a whole) have ever been subjected to herbicides, inorganic fertilizer or the like and have been farmed organically since they were planted. We have of course continued to farm in this manner adhering to strictly organic principles always with a philosophy of ‘less is more’. We have implemented the regular use of compost and compost tea’s and plant preparations as well as nurturing cover crops and native grasses. Soil biology and biodiversity are two of our primary focuses here on the farm and working with the flow of and within the cycles of nature is of paramount importance in every aspect of what we do.

The fact these vineyards have never suffered herbicides is clearly evident as they have an abundance of activity at all times of the year. They are literally buzzing with life both above and below the ground. There are also no other vineyards nearby and they are a very small part of the entire landscape making them even more unique and a healthy part of the much larger eco system they sit amongst. I think this energy and ‘liveliness’ is very apparent in the wines that are grown here.

All of the work we carry out is meticulously done by hand, including all weeding and under-vine management all with fastidious attention to detail.

The vines themselves are managed intentionally to produce extremely small crops. Less than 250g of fruit per plant has been the norm over the last 7 years ! with this yielding less than 500 bottles from each site respectively.

My intention with the wines is to make the purest expression of the vines and fruit as possible showing the distinct nature of the soils and the environmental influences. This means the wines essentially make themselves (so to speak) with most of the decisions being made in the vineyard to produce exceptional quality fruit.

As such, there are no additions used during the winemaking process. No pumps are used on the wines, no oak whatsoever with all of the wines being handled entirely in stainless steel or Ceramic eggs. I have always had a hard time reconciling the fact that when “terrior” is spoken about when trying to capture a sense of place in wines one of the first things that is often evident is oak ! I also believe firmly that to capture the true energy and expression of a wine the vessel or medium should be as neutral as possible.

Long cool natural ferments are the norm here and there is no maceration for any of the ferments. The wines are never racked or moved after pressing and are bottled by hand directly from tank after élevage. These are the purest and quite frankly the most exquisite wines I have ever made and are the culmination of a lot of hard work in the vineyards and a lot of patience. 

I have so far made 6 vintages from these sites (Nikau & Tolone blocks) and am slowly figuring out the intracacies of each site/wine. I can’t express how special I think these wines are and how enchanted by them I have become. It’s taken me the best part of 15 years in wine to get to this point and be able to make wines like these.  Farming these vines for the last 6 years and crafting the wines has taught me a lot. It has also been an exercise in patience, and is a journey and quest for learning that is in it’s infancy. I hope you enjoy these wines and appreciate them for what they are, a labour of love.

Due to the extremely small quantities of these wines there will only be a handful that make it to retail here in Australia. The mailing list is your best bet of securing some bottles each year and mailing list subscribers will be assured first access each year. You can sign up to the mailing list at the top right of this page to receive all future release offers.

Thanks for reading and we very much look forward to sharing this journey with you as we continue to become at home on this land.

Dane, Hannah, River & Rata. XO