Harvest notes: Block C picked in two mornings
Small berries, thick skins and a sorting table that never stopped (sample notes).
Taste each wine beside the vines it grew on
Calder Ridge (sample) is a six-hectare family vineyard in the hills above Springfield. Every wine is named for the block it comes from, so you can taste the Syrah, then walk out to its rows.
Cellar door open Thursday to Sunday, 11:00–17:00 (sample)
A
Riesling
1992, 1.2 ha
B
Chardonnay
2004, 1.6 ha
C
Syrah
1998, 0.8 ha
D
Pinot noir
2011, 1.1 ha
E
Cabernet franc
2016, 0.6 ha
Cellar door
Red varieties
White varieties
Cellar door
Calder Ridge planting plan (sample): 5.3 ha of vines in five blocks, rows drawn as planted.
Cellar door tastings
Sit at the tasting bench or out on the terrace above Block A. A host pours, tells you where each wine grows and answers whatever you ask.
Cellar door flight
Five current wines, from the Riesling to the Syrah. No booking needed for up to five people.
About 40 minutes
$20 a person
Free when you buy two bottles
Reserve flight, seated
Six wines including a library vintage from the cellar, with a small cheese plate.
About 60 minutes
$35 a person
Booking needed
Vineyard walk and tasting
A walk through Blocks A, C and D with the vineyard manager, then a barrel tasting.
About 90 minutes
$55 a person
Saturdays at 10:30
The pour order
1
A
Block A Riesling 2024, dry
2
B
Block B Chardonnay 2023
3
D
Rosé of Pinot noir 2024
4
D
Block D Pinot noir 2023
5
C
Block C Syrah 2022
Light to full, white to red (sample).
Example prices. Tastings are for guests of legal drinking age; we ask for ID if we are unsure.
The wines, block by block
Small batches from our own grapes only. Each square shows the block the wine comes from, drawn as it is on the plan.
A
Block A Riesling 2024
Dry, lime and wet stone. From the oldest vines on the east slope.
$24
B
Block B Chardonnay 2023
Fermented in older barrels; ripe pear, hazelnut, a clean finish.
$29
D
Rosé of Pinot noir 2024
Pressed straight after picking; strawberry and pink grapefruit.
$21
D
Block D Pinot noir 2023
Cherry and forest floor, light enough to chill a little in summer.
$34
C
Block C Syrah 2022
Black pepper and plum from the warmest rows; 18 months in oak.
$38
E
Ridge red 2021, Blocks C and E
Syrah with Cabernet franc; dark fruit, firm, ready to keep.
$46
Example prices, per 750 ml bottle. Case of twelve: 10% off.
What is happening in the vineyard
A vineyard changes every month. This is the year at Calder Ridge, and where we are in it now (sample).
Jan–Feb
Pruning
Each vine is cut back by hand to two canes. Quiet weeks at the cellar door.
April
Budbreak
The first green shoots. Frost nights mean early mornings for the vineyard team.
June
Flowering
Tiny flowers set the size of the crop. Evenings on the terrace begin.
August
Veraison
Red grapes turn from green to violet; we start tasting the berries.
Sept–Oct, now
Harvest
Picking by hand, block by block. Harvest weekends at the cellar door.
Plan your visit
Monday to Wednesday
Closed
Thursday and Friday
11:00–17:00
Saturday and Sunday
11:00–17:00
Last tasting
16:15
Public holidays
11:00–16:00
Opening hours (sample).
Good to know
- Drivers get free soft drinks and our own grape juice
- Children are welcome with an adult; there is a lawn to run on
- Dogs on a lead are welcome on the terrace
- The tasting room and toilets are step-free
- Cheese and charcuterie boards from $18 (example prices)
Events at the estate
Small events, booked ahead. Wine club members get the first tickets (sample).
Sat 25 Oct
Last-pick harvest morning
Pick Block C Syrah with the team, then breakfast in the barrel hall. Bring boots.
Fri 14 Nov
Winemaker's dinner in the barrel hall
Four courses, each with a wine from a different block. Seats for 40.
Sat 6 Dec
Winter cases and mulled wine
Pick up mixed cases for the holidays; tastings all day, no booking.
Free entry
Sat 31 Jan
Pruning workshop
Learn to prune a vine on our oldest Riesling rows. Secateurs provided.
Events and dates (sample).
Join the wine club
Three cases a year, chosen by our winemaker from each new release and a few bottles from the library.
Six bottles, three times a year
$150 a case
Twelve bottles, three times a year
$280 a case
Tastings for you and a guest
Free
Extra bottles
15% off
Example prices. Cancel after any shipment.
From the journal
Why we prune by hand in January
Two canes, a few spurs and a lot of cold fingers (sample).
The terrace is open for the season
Twelve tables above Block A, open Thursday to Sunday (sample).
Finding the cellar door
Calder Ridge Vineyard
212 Ridge Road, Springfield (sample)
- Six kilometres from Springfield station; taxis wait at the rank
- Free parking beside the cellar door, with two accessible spaces
- Cyclists: a bike rack and a water tap by the gate
- Coach groups by arrangement
