Established in 1995 by Alasdair Sutherland and his wife Trish, Capercaillie is located on 16 hectares in the Lovedale sub-region of the Hunter Valley, with five hectares under vine. A boutique winery, it has a great reputation for producing premium Hunter Valley Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz and also uses select parcels of grapes from over producers to blend with their Chambourcin and Petit Verdot.
Over the years, the winery has built a firm customer base in the domestic and export markets and has gained a reputation as a quality producer. Critics and judges alike recognise the high standard Capercaillie maintains in their quest for distinctive and innovative wines. Its wines have won 30 trophies and more than 700 other awards. While Capercaillie is now owned by Winston Wines, it continues the tradition of boutique winemaking as established by the Sutherlands.
What’s special about your vineyard?
A combination of an established vineyard and the talents of our vineyard manager ensure Capercaillie produces excellent quality fruit and therefore, premium wines. Capercaillie was originally planted in the late 1970s, mainly with Chardonnay supplemented with a couple of acres of Gewürztraminer. In the 1990s Alasdair Sutherland replanted a small portion of the ageing Chardonnay with one hectare each of the Chambourcin and Petit Verdot, which while low yielding continue to produce amazing fruit. Our talented vineyard manager, Lance, comes from a long line of vignerons, six generations in fact, and is dedicated to the well being of our beautiful vineyard. Having worked along side his grandmother and father who have passed down invaluable skills, Lance ensures the vineyard gets the very best care, resulting in premium quality Hunter Valley wines.
What’s special about your wines?
Capercaillie’s ambition is to remain a small winery focussing on the creation of premium quality wines. To enhance the range of individual Hunter Valley wines we select parcels of grapes from other proven regions of Australia, creating exciting multi-area blends that highlight climatic and varietal differences. Varieties include the Hunter Valley classics, multi-regional blends and a range of Sparkling and sweet dessert styles.