Oakdene Vineyards started as a hobby farm but has since blossomed into a prominent Victorian viticulture player, who this year earnt the prestigious 2024 Premier’s Trophy.
Located in Wallington, Oakdene is a family-owned vineyard that sits on coastal farmland east of Geelong on the Bellarine Peninsula.
In recent years, Oakdene’s benchmark wines have garnered awards from major wine shows and maintained a 5-star rating in the Halliday Wine Companion.
However, the vineyard’s beginnings were humbler. General manager and director of Oakdene Vineyards, Steven Paul, talked to Food and Beverage Industry News to discuss the story behind one of Victoria’s most acclaimed wine labels.
In 2001, Bernard and Liz Hooley discovered an old dairy farm named Oakdene. Initially treated as a hobby farm, its beginnings mirrored those of many other boutique wineries.
“Most wineries like ours, probably started with someone that wanted a hobby type farm… and then decided, hey, let’s put some grapes in,” said Paul.
The location of the farm was perfect for a vineyard. Located in the ‘dress circle’ of Victoria, Oakdene is placed in among the state’s premier wine locations. Situated on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong, Oakdene is followed by iconic winery locations, such as Macedon, Yarra Valley and Gippsland.
The cold climate in these areas allows producers to specialise in developing high-quality wine in several categories.
“Cold climate regions for viticulture focus on pinot noir and chardonnay and probably shiraz to a lesser extent and pinot gris,” said Paul.
Recognising these advantages for viticulture, the Hooleys decided to develop Oakdene into a fully-fledged vineyard. Starting with just a few grapevines, the Hooleys went on to adopt the necessary capabilities to produce wine and even opened a restaurant.
“They decided to piece together an old homestead and turn that into a restaurant. And then from a restaurant, decided to produce wine,” said Paul.
While the Hooleys did produce wine at Oakdene, most of the fruit from the original 30-acre vineyard was sold to other wineries. This changed when Paul joined Oakdene in 2009 and began enhancing the vineyards commercial appeal.
“I joined…from another winery in the Bellarine and I moved Oakdene into more of a commercial business,” said Paul.
“We decided to sort of keep everything ourselves and start to expand.”
Paul’s decision to expand Oakdene as its own independent vineyard would result in Oakdene selling more than 12,000 cases of wine in one year. Prior to the expansion in 2005, they sold just 700 cases. Oakdene’s expansion was further evident when the vineyard purchased a new 160-acre property.
“We purchased a new property in 2014 or 15 and planted immediately. And now we’ve gotten 70 acres under vine, and a 160-acre property about 11 km from the original block,” said Paul.
Since then, the site has evolved into a fully operational vineyard with accompanying facilities that not only include the restaurant but a cellar door and café.
“We work between the two sites now with both in the same region,” said Paul.
Oakdene wine-making production and processes
While most wineries adhere to a standard production process involving grape harvesting, grape crushing, fermentation, aging, blending, and bottling, Oakdene incorporates unique twists into this process.
Paul said part of Oakdene’s success can be attributed to how the vineyard focuses on what occurs long before the grapes are harvested. He also emphasised that Oakdene’s small, boutique and family-owned nature presents an advantage over larger producers.
“We focus on the people that grow the grapes a little bit more, because that’s where the quality comes from,” he said.
“You’ve got to have a great site. But you’ve also got to have a good viticulture team that focuses on 100 per cent quality.”
Furthermore, Oakdene utilises key manufacturing principles that other producers may view as risky. For its benchmark wines, Oakdene uses 100 per cent wild yeast to help express a unique palate.
“The idea with wild yeast is to maybe express your vineyard or your winery a little more than you would if you use a cultured yeast from a packet. It is a little bit riskier because you don’t exactly know what you’re going to get,” said Paul.
Oakdene’s ability to give premium treatment to its benchmark wines is supported by its second-level wine offerings. The tier has a low production cost and therefore offers an affordable option for consumers.
“These are the ones who sit below. With those we’re using cultured yeasts and old oak to try and manage the production costs because you’re also trying to bring a line to the market that’s ready to drink immediately,” said Paul.
Paul couldn’t describe Oakdene’s wine production without acknowledging that the vineyard is blessed by the iconic Australian sun.
“The Australian touch is that we get a whole lot more sun than people do in Europe,” said Paul.
“Our Chardonnay probably ripens a little bit quicker than it would in a longer period and we have lower natural acidity because we’re warmer.”
Paul further attributes the success of Oakdene’s wines to ensuring that the wine matches current market dynamics. Oakdene has implemented a benchmark tasting system to gauge competition and align with seasonal preferences.
“I think with winemaking, you’re certainly making a wine for a market,” said Paul.
“Five years ago, we just couldn’t make enough shiraz. Now, we can’t make enough chardonnay. Sauvignon blanc is sort of waning, and pinot gris is still strong. Rose has gone through the roof, and sparkling is huge,” said Paul.
To further predict seasonal preferences, Oakdene utilises its cellar door which itself attracts tourism and draws attention to its products. This is essential, as the company doesn’t have a traditional distributor.
“We make trial batches of small runs and run those through our cellar door. They then appear as a more commercial wine the following year and get released. If they don’t work, they disappear,”
he said.
“Our cellar door is a huge part of our business because we’re in a busy region. The bulk of our sales go directly through the cellar door.”
Achievements and recognition
These unique production quirks and testing strategies have moulded Oakdene into the boutique powerhouse it is today. Just this year, Oakdene’s 2022 Liz Chardonnay clinched the 2024 Premier’s Trophy at the Victorian Wine Show. Awarded at Parliament House in Victoria by the Premier Jacinta Allan, the achievement was bigger than Paul initially thought.
“We have never won an award that big before. There was a lot of media press, and there were a lot of online orders almost immediately,” he said.
The Premier’s Trophy is one of the highest honours in the Victorian wine industry, as the award requires finalists to have already won an award in one of the 14 wine shows across Victoria.
Leading up to the Victorian Wine Show, the Liz Chardonnay took home three different awards at two highly respected wine shows. At the Geelong Wine Show 2023, the chardonnay took home the Trophy for Wine and the Trophy for Best Chardonnay. It also took home the Trophy for Best Chardonnay at the 2023 Ballarat Wine Show.
Paul said that the wine not only resonated with Oakdene but also impressed judges and consumers alike with its price point and quality.
“I know a lot of people out there buy what they love. It’s nice to think that this is the one that a lot of the people in the region certainly love us for,” he said.
“Liz retails at $45, we have another chardonnay for $30, and we sell more Liz Chardonnay than we do the second label.”
The winning 2022 Chardonnay was named justifiably after co-founder Liz Hooley and was planted on what they now call the ‘mature block,’ where Oakdene was founded all those years ago.
Alongside Oakdene’s proudest product, demand for its pinot noir and sparkling benchmark offerings is
quickly rising.
Challenges
While Oakdene’s wine production system appears airtight, Paul said at each stage of the vineyard’s journey, challenges have emerged. He said the biggest challenge in viticulture is lead time, especially when establishing a vineyard.
“The hardest thing I think with viticulture and winemaking is that there is a very long lead time between establishing a vineyard and then getting your first crop. It’s probably three years,” he said.
“And then from that first crop, working out what parts of the vineyard are working best, what varieties you’ve got in the ground, and whether the general public actually wants those wines.”
Paul explained that these long lead times mean if trends change, you have a lot of leftover wine that “you’re pretty proud of.” Instead of panicking, Paul emphasised that Oakdene strives to be a vineyard that practices confidence, foresight, and flexibility.
“Having the foresight and flexibility across certain wine styles is crucial. For example, pinot noir and chardonnay allow you to make sparkling, rose, dry red or dry white,” he said.
Going Forward
Paul said Oakdene will continue to focus on projects aimed at further enhancing the reach of the brand. Partaking in an Australian sustainability program is currently a priority. Oakdene has also fitted out a new cellar door and is in the process of constructing a second restaurant and an art gallery.