Copperhead

Copperhead Wines began as a passion and a hobby when qualified horticulturists Hans and Ann Orth planted their first vines – on the same site as their wholesale nursery – in Coldstream in 1996. It’s no longer a hobby and today the Orths have 12ha planted to chardonnay, pinot noir, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, riesling and zweigelt; 90% of the fruit is contract grown, mainly for Yering Station, with a little also going to Timo Mayer and Jayden Ong. While Yering Station has been making the wines under contract since ’02, Copperhead Wines built a winery in time for the ’20 vintage and hope to make the wines themselves in the future. -PHILIP RICH