It was Stuart Hooper's passion to share the enjoyment of a bottle of red with friends and family, and his dream of producing wine from his own vineyard, that lead to the establishment of Bannockburn Vineyards, while his uncompromising commitment to always produce the best wine possible, regardless of cost, has placed Bannockburn Vineyards at the forefront of re-establishing Geelong as an exceptional cool climate wine producing area.
As can be seen on every bottle of Bannockburn wine, there is a bird clutching a fish in its claws.
This is known as the Halcyon symbol, derived from Greek mythology, and is supposed to mean peace and plenty. A dictionary definition of Halcyon provides calm, peaceful, happy; or Halcyon days means time of peace and happiness. The symbol thus reflects the true purpose of the wine, which is to provide enjoyment to friends who find peace and happiness in each others company.
Climate and Soil
The maritime influenced climate is cool and stable. The long growing season extends from September (bud burst) to the end of harvest in early May. The rainfall is winter/spring dominant. Overall, the climate is cooler than Bordeaux, but warmer than Burgundy, with more sunshine and less rainfall than either region.
The soil is rich brown and black volcanic loam over a limestone base, well drained and of low fertility.
Vineyard
The vineyards are located on three separate sites, each with its own meso-climate. They are planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, and now cover some 25 hectares with the most recent planting consisting of new French clones with greater vine density.
Winery
A state of the art winery was built in 1981 and is capable of handling 150 tonnes of grapes (10,000 cases of wine). The underground cellar is temperature controlled housing 400 French barriques and 6,000 cases of bottled wine.