The Oates family vineyard “Wilagri” was first planted in 1999, growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Chardonnay, Semillon & Sauvignon Blanc on complex loam soils over deep well draining gravels.
Our farm strives to operate on minimal intervention principles wherever we can.
Sustainability is at the core of my wines. In the vineyard the philosophy is not to use the quick fixes of conventional farming but instead look to the slow and healthy practices of sustainable farming.
We use soil revitalizing cover crops, compost from animals that live close to the vineyard and the flock of sheep to remove leaves during the growing season and weeds from the vineyard after harvest.
We are proud to have our commitment recognised by achieving full accreditation for the winery and vineyard with Sustainable Winegrowing Australia in 2023.
I made the first Oates Ends in 2000, fresh out of Uni, in the shed on the farm using grapes from the ends of the rows that the machine harvester missed, hence the name. It was a whole family affair and the single barrel was shared with our friends.
Fast forward almost two decades and after a rewarding international winemaking career I decided it was time to return home and focus on making wines from Wilagri that really captured the essence of this special vineyard.
In 2018 I built a winery on the property and make all of the wines on site, using classical winemaking techniques with a light hand, to retain the purest expression of Wilagri.
The winery runs on rainwater and is currently installing solar power. Packaging is selected to minimise wasted resources and biodegradable plastic is used for wrapping.
Cath