Wine & Views Worth the detour

Owners Wendy Heaney and Bruce Preston continue to put The Gurdies Winery on the map by unlocking the property’s full potential. Words, Chris West | Photos, Doug Pell

When travelling on the Bass Highway, on the way to or heading home from Phillip Island, it is strongly recommended you allow time to make a quick diversion to visit The Gurdies Winery.

The winning combination of an outstanding selection of wines and spectacular views over Westernport Bay from the winery’s Cellar Door and outdoor patio ensure you won’t be disappointed.

“We always say that our wine is certainly well worth the slight detour, and the view provides the perfect backdrop for any occasion,” says Wendy Heaney, who has coowned The Gurdies Winery with her partner Bruce Preston since September 2020.

Wendy and Bruce moved to The Gurdies in 2012 after buying a property next to a farm, which has belonged to Wendy’s family for nearly 40 years.

“When we bought the house, it came with about half a hectare of Riesling vines that had been neglected,” she recalls.

“The previous owner of The Gurdies Winery, Dick Wettenhall was very neighbourly and helpful with his advice. He told us to either pull out the vines or be prepared to put in a lot of work to bring them back to a healthy state. After deciding to give the latter option a go, Dick taught us what to do and then eventually he made wine for us.

Not wanting to interfere with the sales of his wines, we took our wine to farmers’ markets.”

That initial venture led to the establishment of Heaston Estate in 2015, a label that continues to this day in tandem with The Gurdies Winery operation, which Wendy and Bruce subsequently acquired from Dick Wettenhall nearly five years ago.

“We still produce the Riesling from that original block, which will always carry the Heaston Estate name,” Wendy vows.

“It features a cow on the front of the label. The story behind that is one year, one of our Black Angus cows on the farm next door gave birth to twin heifers. The first one popped out black and the second was red, which was given the name Ginge. She was a real standout in the paddock amongst all the black cattle. One of Bruce’s friends was an artist and did a caricature drawing of Ginge, which we used on the Heaston Estate Riesling label as a bit of a tribute to her.”

While finding their way with their Heaston Estate venture, Wendy and Bruce would often help Dick Wettenhall at harvest time and started to see that The Gurdies Winery had considerable untapped potential.

“Dick had looked upon the property as a retirement project to pursue his interest in the vine growing and winemaking, more so than the commercial side. When the time came for him to sell, he gave us the first option to buy,” Wendy explains. »

One of the first tasks Wendy and Bruce attended to after taking ownership of The Gurdies Winery was to declutter the patio area to maximise the breathtaking, panoramic views that the property offers.

Under Wendy and Bruce’s ownership, the winery has seen considerable growth and enhancements across its operation.

“We currently have seven different varieties of grapevines –Chardonnay, Riesling, Verdelho, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. We also do a couple of blends,” Wendy notes.

“It’s all grown here, and now it’s all made here once again. Dick Wettenhall made the wine when he was the owner, so when he left the property it lost its winemaker. We started out sending our grapes across to Inverloch for our wine to be made over there.”

Wendy and Bruce then took the important step of adding winemaker, Ernie Cara, to their team nearly two years ago.

“Ernie produced his first vintage for us in 2024, and it’s great that it’s enabled us to bring the winemaking back here so we can showcase the fact that everything about the wine produced under our labels is locally owned and locally made,” Wendy states.

“We introduced a Sparkling Red and last year made a straight Sparkling Shiraz, which has actually become our biggest seller. We’ve also introduced a Gurdies Spritz, which is made from our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.”

Wendy calculates that she and Bruce have planted out approximately an additional three hectares since acquiring the property.

“We’re now at about eight and a half hectares under vines, with scope for further expansion, which we will be doing in the future,” she states.

2025 has already seen The Gurdies Winery complete the construction of its new winemaking shed, which was officially opened in February.

As part of the ongoing expansion, Wendy and Bruce have also elevated The Gurdies Winery’s capability as a wedding venue and have submitted plans to Council to construct a dedicated function space adjoining the Cellar Door.

“Normally the weddings are over the summer months. There’s an area down between two blocks of vines where we’ve got an arbor. The view there is beautiful,” Wendy says.

“After 5pm the wedding parties have access to the whole winery. They usually come up to our BBQ area and have the reception outside in nice weather. If the weather is not as favourable, they can come inside to the Cellar Door.”

Once complete, the new function room will be available for weddings, birthdays, corporate events and other private events, with a commercial kitchen available for external caterers to use.

“It will give us a lot more options for any weather conditions,” Wendy observes.

The Gurdies Winery had a narrow escape from potential disaster in December last year when fire threatened the area. Thanks to the efforts of the CFA, property losses at the winery as a result of spot fires were contained to sections of fencing, a couple of storage sheds, some areas of pasture and a few rows of vines.

“It could have been far worse,” Wendy suggests.

In the months since the blaze was extinguished, Wendy and Bruce have been very diligent in mitigating against the risk of the property’s grapes being adversely impacted by smoke from the fire.

“We’ve modified the way that we’ve made the wine this year to reduce any potential impacts, but the main anticipated effect is that it will have a shorter lifespan,” Wendy states.

The Gurdies Winery has much to raise a glass to in celebration of its ongoing evolution.

With its cozy, relaxing, rustic feel, the property has a welcoming atmosphere. Tables on the patio are in keen demand in the best weather, whilst near the warmth of the open fireplace in the Cellar Door is the place to be in winter.

“We are very community minded and love the fact that a lot of people have made this their local place, but we also encourage visitors to come and sample our excellent wines and other produce available from our Cellar Door,” Wendy says.

“To complement our wines, we source all our beers, ciders, cheese, milk and other treats from local suppliers. For our entertainment, we also like to have local musicians performing. It’s all part of wanting people to come here and experience what this region has to offer.” gl

Address

215 Gurdies-St Helier Rd, The Gurdies

Cellar Door Opening hours Friday–Sunday 11.00am–5.00pm

Open Public Holidays (except Christmas Day)

Open all School Holidays (except June)

There is no restaurant at the winery so visitors are welcome to bring their own picnic or hire one of the property's BBQs. Strictly no BYO alcohol.

Online sales thegurdieswinery.com.au

We’re known for Local Lamb & Aged Beef on the bone • Award winning Italian Sausages • Fresh Fish on Friday • Private Livestock Butchery • Spit Roast Catering for all occasions • Bulk Meat Packs.