Faraday Ridge Wines

David and Ruth Norris had what they describe as a mid-life crisis in their mid-20s, moving to Central Victoria to grow wine grapes. They established 1ha of chardonnay, and 2ha each of pinot noir and shiraz, which might seem a strange mix for Bendigo, but the vineyard is in fact at the southern end of the region at an altitude of 450m on the deep, granitic soils of Mt Alexander. Over the years, grapes have been sold to Southcorp, BlackJack, Hanging Rock and Witchmount, but it was not until 2004 that David and Ruth decided to release a Shiraz from that vintage, rewarded with trophies at the Daylesford Wine Show 06, and the Australian Small Winemakers Show 07. Future releases of Chardonnay and Shiraz are in the pipeline, although grape growing (and sales) remains the central part of their business. -JAMES HALLIDAY