Sunnycliff

Producer Directory

History

Sunnycliff is made in the Mildura wine region which was transformed from an arid, scrubby, no man's land, to an agricultural oasis in the 1880's. Back then Alfred Deakin, a former Prime Minister of Australia, encouraged California's Chaffey Brothers to bring their irrigation expertise to the vast inland valley of the Murray River in North West Victoria.

Since then the region has become one of Australia's most productive and prosperous sources of high quality produce; including citrus, olives, almonds and grapes.

It is in Mildura at the Deakin Estate property, named in honour of that visionary Alfred Deakin, that Sunnycliff is made.

Purchased in 1967, Deakin Estate was planted to premium wine grapes which were sold as fruit until 1980 when a winery facility was built. By the time the Deakin Estate range, including Sunnycliff, was launched in 1994 some vines had achieved considerable age, whilst newer vines were being planted. An ongoing regime of viticultural innovation accelerated, ensuring the high quality.

Vineyards

Stretching over 350 hectares (865 acres) near the Murray River at Red Cliffs, the Deakin Estate vineyard is a model of successful contemporary viticultural management.

Our major varieties are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot and we are leaders in innovative vineyard techniques such as partial root zone drying, canopy management and yield monitoring. Agricultural research bodies and others in the industry access our vineyard for study purposes and in 2002 we received a Save Water Award for our water conservation practices aimed at protecting the environment and future productivity of the region.

first page - 1 - last page