The weather has been ideal for flowering season here at Scotchmans Hill, with light winds, plenty of sunshine, and temperatures between 20-25°C - absolutely optimal for fertilisation.

This crucial time of year will have a huge impact on the upcoming crop, and if these conditions hold for the next 2-4 weeks, we’re in for a great harvest. 

The right weather means strong fertilisation and healthy vines, but if temperatures drop and winds pick up, they could disperse the pollens and affect the crops by as much as 50%. 

Fingers crossed for a smooth flowering season and a bountiful future vintage! 

At Scotchmans Hill, one of our key sustainability practices is composting with our own organic mix. Over the past 15 months, we’ve created this nutrient-rich compost on-site using green waste and grape marc.

Why Composting Matters:

Boosts Soil Health: Composting increases microbial activity, attracts worms, and improves soil structure, enhancing nutrient absorption and water retention.

Conserves Water: By improving soil structure, compost helps with water infiltration and retention, essential for dry spells.

Better Grapes, Better Wine: Healthier soil leads to stronger vines and higher-quality grapes.

Though it’s a time-intensive process, the long-term enefits make composting an investment in both sustainability and grape quality.

Scotchmans Hill is excited to announce that 16 of our wines have received 90 points or above in the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Award with 10 of these wines were awarded Gold - a score of 95 and above. Our 2021 Cornelius Kirkcaldy Vineyard Pinot Noir achieved an amazing score of 97 points!

We congratulate our talented winemakers and the entire winery and viticulture team for another exceptional year.

1. Can you tell us about your journey into winemaking and how your international experiences have shaped your approach at Scotchmans Hill? My first job in the wine industry was actually at the Scotchmans Hill cellar door. I loved the concept and craft of making wines. After this experience, I went on to do different harvests across California, Italy and the Geelong region. I’ve come full circle and ended back at Scotchmans Hill as part of the
core wine making team. 

2. What unique challenges and rewards do you find working with cool climate wines at Scotchmans Hill? The biggest reward of working in a cool climate region is being able to work with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This also brings challenges of volatile weather patterns, so you have to be able to adapt quickly to accommodate the growing season and fruit received each year in the winery. 

3. Could you share a memorable moment or project that has defined your time
at Scotchmans Hill so far? With my experience working in Italy, its great to work with the newly planted Italian varietals. Seeing the team come together and get excited about making new wines and sparking new creativity is really fun to be apart of. 

4. How does your academic pursuit in Wine Science complement your practical experience in the vineyards and cellars? Chemistry and microbiology are the fundamental building blocks to making wine so to be able to apply what I’m studying every day at work helps to understand in small ways in which we can improve our process in making great wines. Also having 3 mentors that have gone through the same University in Robin, Marcus and Pete helps integrate my study and work really well. 

5. What advice would you give to aspiring winemakers looking to enter the industry today? It’s a great career choice to anyone thinking of becoming a winemaker. I changed career after working in an office for a couple of years and I love the rewarding work of the harvest, working outside, working with my hands and being challenged mentally by understanding the science. I also enjoy how sensory engaging the job is as well, you are making a lot of your decisions based on aroma, taste and visual assessment. 

1. What inspired you to become a winemaker? I came back from living overseas and knew I didn’t want to return to the corporate world! Some friends had a vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula and needed help pruning so asked if I could lend a hand. It was cold, wet, miserable and hard work but I loved every minute of it and was instantly hooked on the wine industry.

2. What do you find most rewarding about working in the wine industry? I love being able to follow a wine from start to finish. Seeing the first budburst of early spring and then being able to follow that growth to veraison and vintage, seeing the fruit arrive in the winery and getting pressed, following the ferment, watching as it ages in barrel and then getting bottled. It’s an organic and natural process that as a winemaker we merely guide along. I find that incredibly rewarding.

3. You have worked in wineries in California and around Australia, in your opinion, what makes Scotchmans Hill wines unique and which is your favourite? I’ve worked in California, Oregon, Bordeaux, New Zealand, Burgundy and all around Australia but Scotchmans Hill and the Bellarine Peninsula have definitely become home. Scotchmans Hill's location gives it an incredibly unique microclimate. Cool sea breezes make for a long, slow growing season, which allows a true depth of flavour to develop in our fruit and wines. Over the last few years, we have focused our attention on the Scotchmans Hill Shiraz. Watching its development and constant improvement to the outstanding wine it is today makes it easily my favourite.

4. What is something we'd be surprised to learn about you? I hate Pinot Gris! I’m sorry. I know it's insanely popular, but I just can’t stand it! I do enjoy making it, though.

5. What trends or innovations in winemaking are you most excited about? One of the things I love most about this industry, is that it is so historic and traditional and yet constantly evolving. There are more than 10,000 grape varietals grown around the world, so there is constantly something new to discover. We’ve recently planted some exciting and interesting new varieties here at Scotchmans so keep an eye out in the near future!

In their ongoing efforts to promote sustainability, the vineyard has taken on the task of creating compost.

Over the past 15 months, they have collected green waste, which has now fully rotted down. In addition to this, they have also accumulated grape marc - the remains of grapes from each year's harvest after pressing.

The vineyard plans to combine these materials to create compost, which will undergo further decomposition over the next 4-5 months.

Once ready, it will be spread out in targeted areas of the vineyard to enhance the microflora and introduce beneficial bacteria, fungi, and worms to the soil, ultimately improving its structure.

Furthermore, the vineyard aims to re-compost the heavier materials to ensure no wastage. Going forward, they have committed to making compost on an annual basis, with a projected production of 500-600 cubic meters this year.

This sustainable approach reflects the vineyard's dedication to nurturing the land and fostering a healthy environment for their vines.

Meanwhile,at the winery, we're gearing up for bottling season. In the image above, WinemakerPete Armstrong is busy getting this year's Rosé, Pinot Gris, and Sparkling wines ready for bottling.

Right now, he's racking Pinot Gris, which means transferring the wine to remove sediment from fermentation. After that, the wine will undergo cold stabilisation to maintain its quality over time.

Have you ever wondered what drives a winemaker to follow their passion? We would like to offer you a glimpse into the minds and hearts of our talented winemaking team. Today, we have interviewed Senior Winemaker Marcus Holt.

1. When and how did you realise you wanted to be a winemaker? I clearly remember at 18 years of age being taken by a friends family on a wine tour of Great Western, visiting Bests and Seppelts and thinking how amazing the wines were, while witnessing the passion and enthusiasm of the cellar door staff and the enjoyment of my friends father. I think that’s when the bug really bit. It was the realisation that you could be part of crafting something so remarkable that has the potential to give so much more than the contents of the glass.

2. What does the average workday look like for you and what keeps you passionate about making wine? The day always starts with a coffee and a bit of banter with the team. Depending on the time of year the schedule changes from the madness of harvest and monitoring ferments, conducting lab analysis and barrel work all through to getting previous vintage wines ready for bottling. The days are seldom alike, as are the vintages they come from which I think in the end is the driver. The best wine you’ve made hasn’t been made yet. 

3. What do you drink at home? Do you have a favourite Scotchmans Hill wine? Do I have a favourite Scotchmans Hill wine??? No, I love all my children equally…..except Chardonnay she’s a ripping kid!

4. What makes a good winemaker? A realisation that we are a cog in larger machine, pulling together to make great wine. From Belinda, Mark and the vineyard team, to Beck who runs our office, we can’t do what we do with out their heavy lift. We’re just lucky enough to taste the wines before anyone else.

 5. What is the best advice you have ever received? Just breathe.

18th April 2024

This past week, barrel work has been the focus in the winery, where the 2023 Scotchmans Hill Pinot Noir was extracted and the same barrels were refilled with the 2024 vintage. The new vintage will be matured in these French barriques for the next 12 months.

8th April 2024

A new chapter of Scotchmans wine story is being written, albeit in the deep burgundy ink of pressed grapes. One of a whole new collection of varieties, Sangiovese was our last pressing for 2024.

As pioneers of winemaking on the Bellarine, Scotchmans Hill has historically invested in pushing boundaries. Our future is set to maintain this synergy of tradition and innovation. We can't wait to share more of this journey with you. Stay tuned.

26th March 2024

Today is our last day of picking, marking the end of our harvest season. Over the next 2-3 weeks, the Winery team will be working hard to top up the wine ferments in the barrels: the process of adding more wine to minimize exposure to oxygen. Our earliest pick of Pinot Noir will be the first wine to go to barrel.

21st March 2024

As we near the end of this year's harvest, we have just a few more days left to handpick our prized Shiraz grapes. Following the Shiraz, we will move on to the Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as our new varieties Sangiovese and Tempranillo.

Despite enduring a dry spell, with a mere 5mm of rainfall recorded since January, the grape quality remains exceptional. The Shiraz vines have exhibited resilience amid the recent heat wave. 

14th March 2024

Our winery team is completing the daily task of plunging the cap.

In winemaking, the ‘cap’ consists of grape skins, pips, and pulp, which are lifted to the top of the vats by the carbon dioxide naturally produced during the first fermentation process. Plunging the cap (or Pigeage) refers to the traditional process of submerging the cap back into the liquid (must) to extract the colour, tannins, and flavour of the grape solids.This process also ensures that the cap stays moist to prevent bacteria growth, which could potentially spoil the beautiful wine below. 

Meanwhile, in the vineyard, the team has Sangiovese, Shiraz, and Cabernet left on the vines to harvest.

5th March 2024

We have officially reached the midway stage of our 2024 vintage. This week, our team is primarily engaged in harvesting the remaining Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Rosé. The last to be collected will be Shiraz, Cabernet, Late Harvest Riesling, and our new alternate varieties.

26th February 2024

Our vineyard team is working extremely hard, currently picking Pinot Noir grapes from our Scotchmans Hill vines, resulting in the earliest harvest of Pinot Noir grapes.

Most varieties are expected to be picked by the end of next week, with only Shiraz and Chardonnay left on the vines. Having all of the grapes harvested will put our vineyard team 3 and a half weeks in advance of last year's vintage.

9th February 2024

Our vintage season is officially underway, marking the earliest start to vintage in 40 years. A busy and very exciting time ahead for our Winery and Viticulture teams as we head into harvest. 

7th February 2024

The newly established 16.5-acre Chardonnay vineyard is displaying strong, impressive growth.