Nestled amidst bushlands in the McIvor Range Reserve, Devil’s Cave Vineyard is a family owned vineyard situated just past the Valley of the Liquid Ambers in Heathcote. The ancient soils are said to be some 500 million years old which display some of the best characteristics for Shiraz vines and helps us to produce the world class Shiraz that Heathcote is well known for.
The actual ‘Devil’s Cave’ is situated behind the vineyard on the McIvor range which lies adjacent to the township. The cave was once a place where aborigines sheltered and was occupied as far back as 1864 by prospectors exploring the area for gold. Our philosophy to making our wine is by using minimal chemical input in the vineyard to maintain a healthy soil life which also follows in the winemaking allowing the wine to speak its true sense of place.
Our Shiraz grapes are handpicked and destemmed into small open top fermenters. After gentle hand plunging throughout fermentation, the wine is then basket pressed into 100% French oak barrel (30% new oak) for malolactic fermentation, where it remains in barrel for a total of 15 months. The wine is racked twice throughout its maturation period, followed by a final racking and settling prior to bottling.
