Tellurian

Meet the Producer

Tellurian was born of founder Ian Hopkins passion for Heathcote shiraz. When offered the opportunity to establish a new vineyard on the Mount Camel range in 2002, Ian’s enthusiasm was driven by the idea of crafting something fine and beautiful from Heathcote’s 550 million-year-old Cambrian soils. Shiraz was their first planting, but over time they have added Rhône varieties which are perfectly suited to the continental climate. They moved to organic farming (certified since 2018) allowing their wines to naturally reflect the influence of these incredible soils.

Tellurian’s winery and vineyards are in the centre of the Heathcote region. This is a long and diverse winegrowing area – 80kms from north to south. South is slightly cooler than the north, with wines varying from fragrant, lifted, medium density to more brooding, darker fruit intensity in the north.

A Note on Sustainability

Tellurian are certified sustainable under the "Sustainable Winegrowing Australia" Programme which is a collaboration between The Australian Wine Research Institute, Wine Australia and Australian Grape & Wine. This is Australia’s national program for grape growers and winemakers committed to making sustainable wine and Tellurian have been certified since 2023 for both the vineyards and winery.

Tellurian also farm organically and this moving to organic farming has allowed the wines to naturally reflect the influence Heathcote’s Cambrian soils formed over 500 million-years ago which are ideal for viticulture. The inspiration for the move to organics was sparked by a trip to northern Rhone in 2014, when founder Ian Hopkins and viticulturist Tim Brown toured the region to research close planting and saw that a few of the best high-density growers in St-Joseph and Hermitage were also applying organic principals. This confirmed the notion that high density planting combined with organic farming had the potential to create a very special expression of the Heathcote terroir. Within a year the transition to organics commenced.

In addition to cutting out all use of all synthetic fungicides and herbicides, one of the key changes in viticulture is the use of an under vine cultivator for weed management. Cutting through the roots of weeds with minimal disturbance of organic matter allowed weeds to decompose into the soil enriching microbiome activity and promoting healthier soils. It also allows better moisture penetration into the subsoil.