The Jesuits renamed Open Ranges Sevenhill because of their hope that the immediate area would become a centre of Catholicism for the North - another little Rome with seven hills. They even named the stream that flowed through the property The Tiber. Sevenhill Cellars are today nestled among the vineyards close to St Aloysius Church and feature a well tended grassed picnic area with tables, seats and shade trees. Sevenhill winery produces all its own fruit on 72 hectares of vineyard.

Twenty varieties of grapes are grown yielding an average annual crush of 450 tonnes. The wine is completely processed on the property including the bottling of the finished wine (35,000 cases per year). This is a far cry from the pioneering days of the first Jesuit winemaker Br Schreiner. He and Br Schneider built a wine press in 1863 capable of pressing a formidable load of 4 buckets of grapes at a time!

The production of altar wine today accounts for 30% of the winery's production. Made in the style of a sherry and in conformity with the requirements of Canon Law is sold to all Christian denominations in Australia for use in religious services. It is exported to India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Guam, Borneo and Pacific Isles.

In the history of Sevenhill Cellars, there have been 7 Jesuit Brother Winemakers. In September 1851 Br Schreiner bought some vine cuttings from Bungaree Station and planted them on the left hand side of the present road to the winery. This planting marks the beginning of Sevenhill Cellars and makes it the oldest winery in the Clare Valley. These vines were planted initially to meet the need for altar wine.

Brother John May SJ, Jesuit Winemaker Emeritus has been with Sevenhill Cellars since 1972. He was instrumental in building the winery up to the technologically advanced state of today. Winemaker Liz Heidenreich joined Sevenhill in 2005. Adelaide born and educated, 34-year old Liz has a wealth of knowledge and experience gained in Australia and overseas. "One of the historical treasures of Australia; the oft-photographed stone wine cellars are the oldest in the Clare Valley, and winemaking is still carried out under the direction of the Jesuitical Manresa Society, and in particular Brother John May. Quality is very good, particularly of the powerful Shiraz; all the wines reflect the estate-grown grapes from old vines!" -Wine Companion.com.au

Tapanappa is also fortunate to have access to Chardonnay fruit from The Tiers Vineyard, planted by the Croser family in 1979, the first vineyard planted in the Adelaide Hills since the 19th century and a proven distinguished site for Chardonnay. This is the concept of terroir, the uncopyable effect of the geology, soil, climate, latitude, longitude, altitude, aspect, surrounds and all other factors affecting Cabernet vines on the Whalebone Vineyard and Chardonnay on The Tiers. Whalebone and Tiers are proven distinguished sites. In the middle of and at the highest point of the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Croser family have planted a revolutionary Pinot Noir vineyard 10 kilometres from any other site, a distinguished site in the making. The mission of Tapanappa is to maximise the quality of wine from these three distinguished sites, regardless of cost, which also implies producing only tiny quantities of wine.

Traditional South Australian viticulturists considered the Piccadilly Valley too cool and inclement for grape growing and The Tiers Vineyard configuration too expensive to establish and too costly to manage for an economic return. Their scepticism was nearly justified when the first flowerings of the new Tiers Vineyard failed in 1983 and 1984 because of what later proved to be unusually windy and cold weather in late November of both years. Tiers was the first of the now many cool climate vineyards later established to this formula in Australia in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

The Croser family commitment to the continued excellence of the Chardonnay fruit from The Tiers Vineyard has been demonstrated by the emotionally painful removal of one third of the original panting and its replacement by new Dijon Chardonnay clones on rootstocks and on an even tighter planting regime of 4444 vines/hectare. These vines now contribute another layer of complexity to Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay.

When the Croser family purchased Maylands Farm at Parawa on the Southern Fleurieu peninsula in 2003, they did so with the sole purpose of growing the finest sea air and grass fed prime lambs. Despite all the best intentions, Croser quickly developed a sense that there were some ideal viticultural sites at Maylands. By Christmas, Foggy Hill stage one had been planted on rootstocks with the Dijon University (Bernard) Pinot Noir clones 114, 115 and 777. Maylands Farm lambs graze in the paddocks alongside the Foggy Hill Vineyard in the cool humid air from the Great Southern Ocean visible to the south.

Whalebone may be special but the important question is, what is so special about the wine? Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz shows a consistency of style and quality that transcends vintage variation. The wine is recognisably Whalebone from hotter or colder, wetter or drier vintages. First and foremost Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz is the taste of the Whalebone Vineyard. The terroir delivers complexity involving the aroma and flavour of dusty earth and Eucalypt smoke. Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz shines with a translucent cerise and purple hue. The aroma is complex and powerful, dominated by ripe blackberry and plum fruit. Liquorice, cellar earth, clove and leather are layered on the foundation of fruit aroma. A finely textured palate with a sweet fruit core and dry grainy tannin finish are hallmarks of a wine of pedigree. Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz is grown and made to benefit from bottle age.

The history of vines in Champagne is inseparably linked to the deep chalk soil. It retains heat from the sun and moisture from the rain which it relases gradually, acting as a natural regulator. The symbiosis of grape and climate continues as the wine matures in the maze of the centuries-old chalky cellars.

The grape varieties grown are eminently suited to the climate and soil, and reflect the unique growing conditions. Chardonnay gives the blend freshness, elegance, finesse and vivacity. Pinot Noir provides fruitiness, body, strength and persistence. Pinot Meunier offers roundness and bouquet which admirably complement the other two.

Mild Atlantic breezes alternate with continental rigours. The Champagne vineyards, the most northerly in France, are regularly threatened by storms, hail and late frosts. The grapes mature slowly in this climate and by transcending these factors, the wonder of champagne is born.

All great wines are the product of the perfect union of soil and climate. But in Champagne, the human factor is more vital than in any other winegrowing area. Over the course of the centuries, Moet & Chandon winegrowers have held their own in the face of tumultuous historic events and the whims of nature. They have fashioned the soil and vines into exemplary vineyards. Moet & Chandon scientists and oenologists are at the leading edge of viticultural research.

Moet & Chandon wines are produced by a team of some ten oenologists, each with complementary experience acquired in a range of wine-growing regions around the world. The driving forces behind the team are its shared expertise, its combined sensitivities and its ongoing commitment to keeping abreast with trends, in particular through travelling and meeting with fellow wine experts.

The Mitchelton Winery/Restaurant/Tourism Complex a premium vineyard, state of the art winery, art gallery, restaurant, cellar door, farmers’ market and wildlife reserve - in essence, a harbinger of today’s wine resort tourism destinations – opened in March 1974 with wines from the 1973 vintage made by Colin Preece. The creation of Mitchelton signalled the start of the modern era of the Victorian wine industry. While Ross and Colin did not live to see their dream fulfilled, throughout the 1980s and 1990s Mitchelton accumulated a formidable number of trophies, awards and medals notably - Winemaker of the Year, Vineyard of the Year (1991), Jimmy Watson Trophy (1991) and Wineries Tourism Awards in 1994 and 1995.

In 1994 Petaluma Ltd purchased Mitchelton enabling increased investment and growth, and in 2001 Mitchelton (as part of the Petaluma Ltd Group) was acquired by Lion Nathan Ltd. In Vintage 2001, the Shelmerdine family celebrated 125 years in Victoria – and 40 years / three generations involvement in the restaurant, viticulture and wine trade — by commissioning special commemorative wines from the family’s vineyards, wines which reflect and express the climate, landscape and character of the wooded valleys, ranges and hills they know so well.

Winemaker Stephen Shelmerdine was involved in the Mitchelton vineyard and winery tourism complex, in the Goulburn Valley, from its inception in 1969, through the Petaluma Ltd ownership (1994 – 2001), until its acquisition by Lion Nathan in November 2001. After intensive study, travel and work in the vineyards of Europe, and managing the retail arm of The Australian Wine Centre in London in the late 1970s, Stephen joined the family vineyard business in 1978, establishing Shelmerdine Vineyards with his wife Kate and mother Marigold in 1989.

In June 2002, Stephen was made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the Australian and Victorian wine industry, and received a Centenary of Federation Medal. Stephen is a Board Member of the Victorian Wine Industry Association, has been President Winemakers Federation of Australia, Board Member Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation, Board Member Australian Wine Export Council, Member Premier of Victoria’s Food Industry Advisory Council, as well as other corporate and public positions too numerous to mention.

The Shelmerdine family have two major vineyards in the Heathcote region, Merindoc Vineyard and Willoughby Bridge Vineyard. Merindoc Vineyard consists of four separate, small plots on the original family farm at Tooborac in Central Victoria. It was 1956 when Ross and Marigold Shelmerdine began farming livestock here. The family first planting vines in the 1990s at hand-picked sites ideal for specific varieties. Surrounded by dramatic hills, sweeping vistas and spectacular granite outcrops, Merindoc Vineyard sits on McIvor Creek, site of mid-19th century gold diggings, and amongst the earliest vineyards in Victoria.