About Donovan Wines
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The Donovan family has a long history of making wine in the Grampians Region. Pietro Pola who arrived from Switzerland in 1864 established his first plantings in the district in 1868. Pietro's wine soon gained a reputation and encouraged others to plant wine grapes in the region. In 1977 Pietro's grandson Peter Donovan established the current vineyard on the slopes of the Black Range. Here there are 10 acres of vines consisting of such varieties as Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. In March 2005 Donovan's commenced development of a new vineyard and cellar door in Great Western opposite Seppelts on the Western Highway. This property currently is the home of our cellar door, 'The Shed' which is a temporary facility until we build a new cellar door. We also have plan to plant approximately 6 – 8 acres of vines on this property when water is again available. Today Donovan's focus is on producing premium grade shiraz that showcases the regions style. Our wine maker Paul Stephens is working meticulously on our shiraz fruit harvested from vines of 30 plus years old. We encourage you to visit 'The Shed' next time you are in the Grampians region and sample some of fine wines. |
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OUR HOME
Situated 260km North West of Melbourne, The Grampians National Park is the third largest in Victoria. It’s spectacular scenery, colourful displays of wildflowers and wide range of opportunities for outdoor recreation attracts over 1 million visitors per year. Popular activities include bushwalking, camping, picnicking, nature study, rock-climbing, bike riding, fishing and touring. The Grampians region including the townships of Great Western, Ararat, Buangor, Moyston and Halls Gap is one of Australia’s most historical and acclaimed wine regions, which has flourished since the 1850s. The Cool climate region features wet winters, dry cool summers, annual rainfall of 550mm and low yields from soils ranging from rich red loam over shale to sandy over loam clay supplementary irrigation from surrounding lakes, reservoirs and reclaimed water. Elevation and site exposure are particularly important in avoiding frost and influencing growth of the vines. Cool ripening conditions and long growing seasons from budburst in mid September to picking as late as the end of May allow the grapes to retain excellent acid levels and develop intense fruit flavours with the region flagship being Shiraz. |
DONOVAN’S CELLAR DOOR
In 2005 Donovan opened ‘The Shed’ as our temporary cellar door. At the time we had plans to build a new cellar door and function centre which unfortunately has been delayed due to several setbacks such as illness, the 2005 bushfires and the current drought. Accordingly, ‘The Shed’ continues to be the public face of Donovan’s within the region. Located directly opposite Seppelts right on the Western Highway ‘The Shed’ provides a central location for you to come and enjoy the hospitality of our cellar door manager Dawn Andreasen and sample some of our great wines. So next time you are in the Grampians make it a must to call in here on your travels. The cellar door is open every weekend from 10am to 4pm. |
