Thousand Candles

Yarra Valley, VIC

With over 150 years of history, the Thousand Candles property spreads over 400 hectares of prime land. From the floodplain of the valley floor skirting the banks of the Yarra River, it stretches up into rolling hills several hundred metres above sea level. A place of vineyards, bushland, kangaroos, cattle in the pasture, creeks with eel, crayfish and waterfowl; tea tree, manna gum, candle bark, tree ferns and mountain ash.

The eternal aim has always been to produce uniquely Australian wines that evoke the experience of being at Thousand Candles’ farm; to embody the features and characteristics of the place. Stuart Proud has been managing the vineyards biodynamically since 2010, to promote health and balance in the soils, vines and grapes. He and his viticulturists nurture the soils with hard work and homebrewed compost teas; mapping the increase in biomass and biodiversity of the soils, while observing the positive effect it has on the quality of the wines.

Stuart took over from friend and mentor Bill Downie, the original winemaker of Thousand Candles; unifying the wines as the both the grower of grapes and maker of wines. His first release as winemaker is the 2017 Gathering Field range; minimal intervention winemaking showcasing fruit from the best blocks of Thousand Candles.

Available in NSW, ACT, and VIC only.