Sutton Grange Winery is situated on Carnochans Road, Sutton Grange Victoria, 30km South of Bendigo. It lies within the Bendigo wine region, close to the borders of both the Macedon and Heathcote regions.

The Sutton Grange vineyard is planted on the foothills of Mt Alexander, 300m above sea level. The area can be prone to spring frost but as the vineyard is on the Eastern side of the mountain, access to all the morning sun lessens the impact. The geology of the area is devonian acid igneous rock, mostly granodiorite and the vineyard soil is sandy over clay loams, acidic, permeable and very deep.

Originally best known as a thoroughbred racing facility, the 400ha Sutton Grange property was bought in 1996 by Peter Sidwell, a Melbourne businessman with horse breeding and racing interests. A visit to the property by friends Alec Epis and Stuart Anderson precipitated the decision to plant vines, and in 1996 this task was supervised by Stuart, a Bendigo winemaking icon. Alec also made a contribution, recruiting his daughter’s partner, Burgundian winemaker Gilles Lapalus, to come out from France and take up the position of winemaker in 2001.

Sutton Grange Winery released its first wines in 2003 under the label ‘Fairbank’ which was the name of the property around the late 1800s. The wines reflect their unique terroir, are European in style, handcrafted and full in texture. The winery now also has a premium wine label, the ‘Sutton Grange Estate’, for limited releases.

Sutton Grange Winery uses organic and biodynamic methods and has not used herbicides since 2001, keeping guinea fowl in the vineyard year round for insect control. All fruit is picked by hand and pressed immediately. - Daniel Jess