In the summer of 1930 four young adventurous polo players embarked on an ambitious quest to represent Australian polo in England. They were four country boys on a shoestring budget playing against the cream of British high society.
The Ashton brothers' success is one of Australia's great rags to riches stories, a story about Aussie grit, determination and victory against all expectations. What happened in 1930 led to Jim Ashton purchasing *Millamolong Station and to this day our family continue our tradition of polo, horse breeding, farming and viticulture at Millamolong.
Millamolong was originally established as a station in 1836. For centuries our land has been part of Australian folklore. The gold rush, wool boom, and secrets from the beautiful Belubula River etch our past.
Our river in ancient times was known for its great healing powers. Today it feeds our livestock and our vineyard. We are a 10,000 acre property with 70 acres of vineyard. Our land is made up of rolling hills and deep gullies that ensure our grapes develop depth of character and our horses learn to be sure footed for the polo field!
We are also known for our 1930's homestead and Edna Walling Garden which welcomes tourists from around the globe. Millamolong is a place for visitors to enjoy the very best of country Australia (we have four different guesthouses on our property which are available for tourist rental year round).
Our guests can experience a genuine working station, explore our vineyard, try our wines, walk and ride on some of the best trails in New South Wales and hear some of the most magical stories of our nation's past.
We are passionate about growing premium cool climate grapes for our limited release wines and giving our consumers the best wines that this region can offer. We have, for decades, offered our guests activities on the property and the opportunity to be part of a busy working station and today we offer that , and more, with our own vineyard. We have been making wines since 2003 from our estate vineyard which is almost 10 years old.
Our vineyard forms part of the Orange GI - a 'cool climate' winegrowing region in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. This region is known for producing premium red and white wine varieties. Millamolong produces a variety of grapes from our 70 acre (28.3 hectares) vineyard each year including Chardonnay, Shiraz, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Millamolong invites you to get to know our wines and enjoy them. For those who wish to try our latest vintage, we are open for tastings and our cellar door times are detailed below together with all our contact details. We would also welcome you to become part of our Wine Club. We look forward to welcoming you to Millamolong Estate!
* In ancient times people would travel many miles to drink from the Belubula River because they believed it had great healing powers. Millamolong literally means 'Sick Mans Creek' and we now know of course that our river is rich in calcium, magnesium and other diluted minerals which help make great wine!
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How We Grow Our Grapes
Millamolong is a cool climate area so canopy management plays an important part in cultivating and ripening the grapes which are hand-picked from selected areas in the 70 acre vineyard.
Harvesting takes place in the cool of the morning during February and March. The grapes are transported to a near-by winery for processing and aging in French and American oak barrels.
The vineyard uses few chemicals. Sheep are used as fertilizers and lawnmowers between the vines on a regular basis. Another reason why Millamolong can avoid the use of chemicals is because the vineyard is high and positioned so that it does not suffer from diseases that other vineyards might have. The unique flavour of Millamolong grapes partly originates from the undulating ground, which is a characteristic of the vineyard.
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Our wine
Our wines are made from our 70 acre vineyard which comprises Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Riesling. The vineyard forms part of the Orange Region GI. Predominantly over 600 meters our vineyard offers an interesting mix of micro climate and altitude.
James Ashton, Proprietor
"We are committed to making outstanding cool climate wines at Millamolong Estate. Our vineyard is a key part of our business and we relish the opportunity to give our consumers the very best that our region can produce."
Millamolong vines are well established on undulating country with multi-directional slopes. Its microclimate is interesting as it benefits from cool nights (even in the summer months) and long hot days.
Breakdown of the grapes
ACRES HECTARES
Shiraz 19.3 acres (28%) 7.81 HA
Cab Sav 18.3 acres (26%) 7.4 HA
Chardonnay 15.1 acres (20%) 6.31 HA
Riesling 10.6 acres (15%) 4.3 HA
Merlot 6.3 acres (10%) 2.53 HA
Soil
The soil is interesting and plays its crutial part in giving the grapes character. Volcanic origin, acidic surface, mainly red dermasols with some brown/yellow, stony/rock subsoil. Some areas are 'self watering' from the series of springs across the vineyard.
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FURTHER INFORMATION |
Contact Us
Winery & Vineyard
Stephen Lewis: 0429 635 191
Sales & Marketing
David Cumming: 0414 736 342
Melanie Ashton: 0429 999 908
Address:
Millamolong Estate
Mandurama NSW 2792
Australia
Ph: +61-2-6367-4088
Fax: +61-2-6367-4088
Email: millamolongvineyard@bigpond.com
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