Redgate

Founder and owner of Redgate, the late Bill Ullinger, chose the name not simply because of the nearby eponymous beach, but also because – so it is said – a local farmer (with a prominent red gate at his property) had run an illegal spirit still 100 or so years ago, and its patrons would come to the property and ask whether there was any ‘red gate’ available. True or not, Redgate was one of the early movers in the region, and now has close to 20ha of mature estate plantings (the majority to sauvignon blanc, semillon, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, shiraz and chardonnay, with smaller plantings of chenin blanc and merlot). -JAMES HALLIDAY