Josh and Jo Murray… “We learned everything from scratch and to now be at the point where our riesling is already getting bronze, we are very excited.” Photo by Andrew Finch
Run by Josh and Jo Murray, the winery is small but packs a punch, and Josh says that considering the high calibre of rieslings in the Canberra region, and that this is their first time entering, they are thrilled with the result.
When the family moved to the 16.8-hectare Wallaroo property in 2009, there was a one-hectare vineyard already there, planted with half riesling and half cabernet sauvignon.
“I used to do a home brew beer but beyond that we had no experience in making wine, and the vineyard wasn’t a factor of the purchase,” says Josh.
“With the vines it was a case of either get rid of them, because with no attention they would go crazy, or try to work with them.
“Our initial plan was to sell the grapes, as the previous owners had done, but we thought, why don’t we work with the grapes and turn water into wine.”
The family moved to the property as a lifestyle change and to have some acreage for the family and kids.
As well as the vineyard, Josh says they now have white dorper sheep, miniature belted galloways, an alpaca and chooks.
“We’ve never looked back, and we love the space for the kids to run around, and that we can grow fresh food and have chickens,” Jo says. “We wanted a bigger backyard – and we got a really big one!”
The couple says there was a steep learning curve in terms of the vineyard over the first couple of years while they were both working full time.
Josh invested in fermentation tanks, crushers and presses, and says that Google was his friend in the early stages.
“I love the whole process, it’s nice to be outside and it’s a bit addictive, year to year; as soon as one batch was bottled, I’d be thinking about the next one,” he says.
“In 2012 we got a consultant in who restructured the vineyard, looking at the way the vines were growing and how to prune to increase yield and produce better quality fruit. They still prune for us every year.”
In the first year, Josh says they produced 20 or 30 litres of experimental batches of non-commercial vintages and that, while it was early days, they knew they were on the right track. In 2013 they started their first commercial vintage.
“We produce 1000 bottles of riesling per year, but that’s gradually increasing because our yield is increasing,” he says.
Josh says they don’t have enough volume to warrant a cellar door at this stage, but that they sell the wine via their website and word of mouth.
“We’ve found there is a great sense of community among the local vineyards and have had a lot of advice and support from Bill Crowe, from Four Winds Vineyard, and Hamish Young and Andrew Ferrell, from Eden Road Wines,” he says.
Josh says that when it comes to harvest time, the whole family is involved.
“One of the highlights of the year for us is when our family and friends come together and help us harvest and crush the grapes,” he says. “Everyone enjoys being part of the process and the kids get involved as well.”
The name Murrora Estate comes from Josh’s surname and Jo’s maiden name (Murray/Ora), and Josh says the term “Estate” was intentionally tongue-in-cheek given the small size of their operation.
“We learned everything from scratch and to now be at the point where our riesling is already getting bronze, we are very excited,” he says.
Visit wine.murrora.com.au
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