Meet the Manager
As the renaissance of the Yarra Valley wine industry gathered momentum in the early 1990s , the Kerr family began receiving approaches from wineries to plant vines on some of the outlying slopes of their Angus cattle stud. Enter son Greg Kerr who was never much of a cattleman but liked growing things, and was keen to make a contribution to the family business.
What could have been a temporary side-line soon became a passion.Almost three decades after the first plantings Greg is still among the vines, doing what he loves, with help from his wife Susan and their four children.
One of the best sidelines of the job is staying close to nature, and being able to embrace sustainable farming practices including the use of an under-vine cultivator to minimise the use of herbicides, as well as the establishment of conservation reserves around the vineyard.
Meet the Manager
As the renaissance of the Yarra Valley wine industry gathered momentum in the early 1990s , the Kerr family began receiving approaches from wineries to plant vines on some of the outlying slopes of their Angus cattle stud. Enter son Greg Kerr who was never much of a cattleman but liked growing things, and was keen to make a contribution to the family business.
What could have been a temporary side-line soon became a passion. Almost three decades after the first plantings Greg is still among the
vines, doing what he loves, with help from his wife Susan and their four children.
One of the best sidelines of the job is staying close to nature, and being able to embrace sustainable farming practices including the use of an under-vine cultivator to minimise the use of herbicides, as well as the
establishment of conservation reserves around the vineyard.
Viticulture by its nature demands much in theway of patience and
tenacity but Greg finds it rewarding to know that some of best premium
labels around trace their DNA back to Tibooburra grapes : The St Hubert’s Blanc de Noir, the Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir, Jamsheed Pinot Noir, Yering Station Old Beenak Road single vineyard shiraz (2010) and One Block syrah to name a few.
It is also immensely satisfying seeing the quality of the Solitude Estate wines evolve over time, and to see the transformation of Carl’s Hut into
a state-of the-art eco-tourism fixture.
Viticulture by its nature demands much in theway of patience and
tenacity but Greg finds it rewarding to know that some of best premium
labels around trace their DNA back to Tibooburra grapes : The St Hubert’s Blanc de Noir, the Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir, Jamsheed Pinot Noir, Yering Station Old Beenak Road single vineyard shiraz (2010) and One Block syrah to name a few.
It is also immensely satisfying seeing the quality of the Solitude Estate wines evolve over time, and to see the transformation of Carl’s Hut into
a state-of the-art eco-tourism fixture.
