About Us
About Us
Most stories have a beginning......
Darren and Jackie Brown have had a long history in the Tasmanian Wine Industry.
After leaving school at the end of grade 10, Darren signed up to undertake a pre-vocational course in horticulture. In his second year, Darren's instructor told him that Moorilla Estate at Berriedale were looking for someone to help in the vineyard, so he went in for a chat and started the very next day.
This is where Darren's love of vines and all things 'winey' started. He was trained up under the watchful eye of Claudio and Julian Alcorso.
After completing her studies at Drysdale Hospitality college in Hobart, Jackie started working at the vineyard/restaurant at Moorilla Estate. It was here that her love of fine Tasmanian wine began; as did her love of a certain Vineyard Manager and Assistant Winemaker (Hint: It was Darren!)
A decade on and with new owners at Moorilla (better known as MONA today), Darren moved to the Coal River Valley to manage Craigow Vineyard and soon fell in love with the area.
Jackie followed Darren to Craigow and started work managing the new cellar door. It was 1996 and as newly weds, Darren and Jackie decided to purchase a property just 5 minutes down the road from work to call home. It was a blank canvas with a house in a paddock!
about the name
It seemed like a good idea to put in a dam for water, and soon after, plant a vineyard. Darren and Jackie dreamed that one day they might have their own cellar door. They had no idea what to call it, but that's ok, they knew something would one day inspire them.