Witchmount – Sunbury Vic

In 2008 a wine from this small family winery was acknowledged as “Syrah Du Monde - the World’s Greatest Shiraz”. This wine and a selection of their other fine Witchmount wines are available at Wine Odyssey.

“Witchmount’s excellent Sunbury reds seem to get better with each vintage.”
Ralph Kyte-Powell, the Age.

If you were heading off to search for the world’s best Shiraz, you’d probably expect to need your passport, a French phrase book, and a map of the Rhône. You’d be wrong. A Melways, on the other hand, would be invaluable.

Witchmount Estate is located just 30 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD in Rockbank. In 2008 a wine from this small family vineyard was acknowledged as “Syrah Du Monde”. Still got that French phrase book handy? It means “World’s Greatest Shiraz”.

In Australia we know this dark-skinned grape as “Shiraz”, but in France and the rest of the world* it’s known as “Syrah”.

Witchmount’s 2004 Shiraz beat 325 other Syrahs from 23 countries for the title of world’s finest – an accolade that makes vigneron Tony Ramunno very proud.

Tony grew up on this property and has been lovingly tending its vines for the last 15 years. He realises that outer Melbourne can’t match the Rhone for romance or spectacle but considers Rockbank’s combination of volcanic red soil, water and climate to be superior for making world-class wines.

“Everyone tends to associate good wine-growing areas with fantasy vacation locations” say Tony, “but you can’t taste the view”.

Witchmount is about quality not quantity. In fact, in making this world-beating Shiraz, Chief Winemaker Stephen Goodwin rejected 36% of that year’s grapes. This would not be a common occurrence at some of Australia’s larger wineries.

And Witchmount is not a one-wine wonder. Tony and Stephen are nurturing a range of premium Australian reds and whites that all aspire to the same lofty heights as the 2004 Shiraz.

In fact, Witchmount’s 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon has actually won more medals than its world-renowned Shiraz, and their whites – particularly the Pinot Gris - are gaining international fans as well.

The key to Witchmount’s success is the genuine love they have for winemaking, the exacting standards, and the intimacy of the operation. As winemaker’s assistant, Adrian Marchioro says, “I’m not treated like an employee. I’m one of the family.”

* You may also recall Miles (Paul Giamatti) talking about “Syrah” in that fabulous Oscar-winning film, Sideways. All is now explained.

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