Silverwaters Vineyard

Hercules van der Walt grew up in South Africa on a cattle farm and his wife, Emily, grew up in Melbourne. They met backpacking in Europe and the rest is history. Except the city was not his thing and the country, not hers. What to do? A chance drive to Phillip Island and a For Sale sign on the Silverwaters Vineyard solved the problem. Country and close enough to the city. Credit to them, locals told them how important the vineyard was and what a shame it would be to lose that heritage – a site approaching its 30th year. It could have been grubbed, but they decided to become vignerons. Hercules keeps a full-time job as a wind turbine technician yet works the vineyard too; Emily has left her university administration job to concentrate on the brand. Local Rick Lacey of Purple Hen fame oversees the wines and a new cellar door opened in 2023. -JANE FAULKNER