A SIP STARTED IT ALL By Melissa Walsh Photos: Yanni
S
et among the rolling vines of the Red Hill hinterland, there’s a wonderful surprise in store when you come across the winery with the unusual name, that’s often hard to pronounce. Myrtacae Vineyard and Winery is full of interesting facts and history, the first one being the origin of the name. Combine the fact that many of the indigenous plants of the region belong to the Myrtacae botanical family, with the scientific and teaching background of owners, John and Julie Truman, and the reason is clear.
“We didn’t want to give it the usual name, and were busy planting and working on the grounds when the word myrtacae kept coming up and we thought it was perfect,” said the couple, who started the vineyard in 1985. “The other point is that half of the property is designated to protecting the greenery through the Land for Wildlife scheme so it seemed fitting.”
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76 | PENINSULA
February 2017
The journey into becoming vineyard owners started the day the couple went on their honeymoon to the Barossa Valley 40 years ago. There they first tasted good wine and have never looked back. “That was in the 70s and wine wasn’t very big then,” said John and Julie. “We became obsessed and planted 12 vines in our backyard in Frankston as soon as we got home and the rest is history.” For the young couple, whose interest in wine and winemaking continued to grow, the next step was to buy a property. “We looked everywhere but the peninsula was our favourite spot so we bought our 14 acres and went to work,” said the couple insisting that it was a huge learning curve. “It was a massive challenge for us but we persisted because we are very passionate about what we do. We have learnt the hard way though. Our first vines were cabernet which is how we found out cabernet doesn’t grow in the hinterland.”