“We are Gil Graves owners Ken Gilchrist and Kaye Graves - a husband and wife team hailing from Bendigo in Central Victoria. In 2010, we purchased a 50-acre property in Axedale to start a completely new venture. Our tagline is “life is not a dress rehearsal” so we started our second careers i.e farming sheep, growing grapes, gathering farm-friendly animals and offering accommodation on our picturesque farm. A steep learning curve was the path we set for ourselves, doing most of the farm work ourselves. We farm and grow our grapes with minimal intervention principles. The farm has brought us much pleasure and occasion to seek new knowledge and develop new skills from those who know best! We engaged like-minded experts who guided us in the planting and growing of the vines and the development of our Dorper sheep flock. The vineyard of four grape varieties was planted with our own hands and the help of family and friends. We purchased high-quality Dorper sheep and rams to breed the stock up to a flock of 80. We nurture and enjoy our farm-friendly pets, chooks, our goat King Billy, alpaca Kurt and our very senior merino sheep Kevin. We believe the best wine comes when the winemaker allows nature take its course. It’s the way wine should be. That’s why our minimal-intervention wines are undisturbed, fermented using indigenous yeasts and are free from added chemicals and nasties. Minimal sulphur is added just prior to bottling. The Gil Graves vineyard is organic, without certification. “ - Ken Gilchrist and Kaye Graves
Winemaker: Tim Sproal (Boomtown Wines)
Contact: hello@gilgraves.com.au
https://gilgraves.com.au/
View Gil Graves Viognier here
View Gil Graves Sangiovese here
View Gil Graves Red Field Blend here