ViC
History of Yarra Valley The Yarra Valley was Australia ’ s first commercial vineyard area , established in 1838 when the Scottish born Ryrie brothers bought 43,000 acres of land and named the property Yering Station . The first commercial wine from Yering Station was made in 1845 by James Dardel . Grape growing and winemaking continued in the Yarra Valley until the 1920 ’ s and then lay dormant until the 1960 ’ s when Wantirna Estate began producing wine again . This instigated growth in the region and the Yarra Valley is now home to over 80 wineries and has a reputation for producing premium cool climate wines . Helen and Joey Estate is located in the sub region of Gruyere . This area is home to many internationally recognized and iconic producers who share the same hill as our vineyard , Helen and Joey Estate .
The Vineyard Helen and Joey Estate is located within the original Yeringberg Station and is proud to share the history of the Yarra Valley . Situated on the slopes of the hill , our vineyard , established in 1996 , has the perfect aspect and exposure to ripen both early and late ripening varieties . We currently have Chardonnay , Pinot gris , Semillon and Sauvignon blanc planted for our white wines . For our red wines , we have Pinot noir , Shiraz , Merlot and Cabernet sauvignon .
Come Visit Us ! In 2015 we built our cellar door facility and small winery . The cellar door commands one of the greatest views of the Yarra Valley . Perched on the top of our hill , you can relax and enjoy our wines while learning something about the winemaking process , or just taking in the view . The cellar door is open from 10am to 5pm 7 days a week . We are easily accessed off the Maroondah Highway and no matter what time of year you visit the Yarra Valley , you will be rewarded for your time . The beautiful rolling hills are magical all year round and we are lucky enough to have one of the best positions to contemplate those views .
Our Wines
Inara Inara means happy and cheerful and we believe this name represents our easy to drink varietal and blended wines . The Inara range provides our customers with great value for money with their upfront fruit and playful nature .
Layla Layla is the dark beauty and , in Arabic , means the ‘ ecstasy of the wine ’. Our Layla wines are more brooding than the Inara wines and show greater concentration , layers of complexity and texture . Most of the Layla wines are aged in oak barrels .
Alena Alena represents our most complex , concentrated and deep wines . Alena is a mystical name derived from Russian and is our quiet ode to our passionate owner , Helen . The Alena wines are made from the best quality fruit from our vineyard and the winemaking involves allowing the beauty of the fruit to shine .
52 touring australia magazine • summer 2017