Specialising in handcrafted boutique wines, Sandhurst Ridge is a family winery with a history that traces back to northern Italy. The Greblos owned vineyards outside Trieste until they were forced to abandon them when the borders changed after World War II. A move halfway across the world to the rural town of Bendigo didn’t stop Papa Theo from making wine, but the grapes had to be outsourced.

In 1989 his sons Paul, George, Silvano and John stood on a vacant elevated site adjacent to a state forest just outside of Marong and decided that it would be ideal for low-yielding vines, which would produce high-quality grapes with
intense varietal flavours.

In 2001 two of the Greblo brothers decided they loved fishing more than wine, leaving Sandhurst Ridge in the more than capable hands of Paul and George and their respective spouses, who now reside at the vineyard and manage all aspects of the business. The winery is the brothers’ passion and they take pride in watching it prosper.

George is the vineyard manager and meticulously tends to the wines, while also managing the vineyard’s soils. He oversees the hand pruning of all the vines and thoroughly enjoys the fruit of his labours at the end of the day.

Winemaker Paul’s simple philosophy is to let the vineyard make the wine and interfere with the winemaking process as little as possible. His aspiration is to have Sandhurst Ridge’s original wines develop with distinctive and memorable characters of the highest quality.

The nine varieties produced by the winery are shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, nebbiolo, sauvignon blanc, fringe shiraz, fringe cabernet sauvignon, fringe shiraz classic blend, reserve shiraz, and dolce bianco (a sweet sauvignon blanc). At the cellar door, visitors will find all of the winery’s various varieties available for tasting, which are often served by Paul or George, who enjoy a good chat when the vintage is over.