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Yarralaw Springs Wines south of Goulburn opened their cellar door and loft accommodation to the public in 2011, but a lot of work went into the property before that was able to occur.
Vivien and Danny Hansen bought the 100 acre property in 1995. Danny told us that they were both living and working out of Wollongong at the time - where they originally met and became a couple years ago - and when they went looking for a location to create their dream the Goulburn region presented far better value for money than the Southern Highlands or the coast.
The TAFE teacher and project engineer then looked at what they could create, "and planted 3000 vines in 1999 of six classic European varieties," Danny said.
They worked hard on improving the soil over the years, "using organic materials only, and adjusting the vineyard varietal numbers to better suit the local conditions," Danny explained.
The olive grove soon followed in 2000, comprising 200 trees of three varieties, which they now offer as table olives to visitors.
In January 2005 they began construction of the Strawbale Winery, with their Vine Loft self-contained accommodation in the attic.
Aiming for sustainability, they planted 50 ironbark trees as post replacements, "in a vineyard free of chemically treated posts," and 300 straw bales were sourced from a property at Lake Bathurst. Also, the rendering used is lime, not cement.
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By 2009 they were making a good variety of wines, and in December of that year enough rain fell to soften the ground and make landscaping a bit less challenging than it had been to that point.
Since opening, they've found that accommodation bookings generally come from people wanting an escape on the weekends, some retired nomads during the week, and from families during school holidays. The position gives a great view, and everything you can see from there is the Hansen's.
"Winery operations may affect one or two weekends during harvest time, the rest of the year guests enjoy the peaceful farm surroundings, and local attractions of the Goulburn region."
In terms of wine sales, they are available from the cellar door on the first, second and third Sunday each month, or by appointment. They support the local markets too, and local delivery is also an option worth asking about.
Everything they produce at Yarralaw Springs Wines is from their own harvest, "and there's plenty on offer either through the cellar door or website shop."
Yarralaw Springs Wines have just picked up more awards for their Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon at the Winewise Small Vigneron Awards, Canberra, and their first ruby fortified red will be out next week.