Fine wines from the hills of Beechworth

Welcome

Sorrenberg is a 2.5 hectare vineyard which is owned by Barry and Jan Morey and situated on the outskirts of Beechworth.

It is surrounded by forest on two sides and Stony Creek runs across the back boundary.

The area was selected for viticulture because of its cool climate and favourable granitic soil. The undulating site provides good drainage and the northern aspect ensures full ripeness is achieved even with the later ripening varieties.

To achieve maximum quality and potential, the vines at Sorrenberg are closely planted on a single fruiting wire. Foliage wires are used to achieve good berry exposure. The vines were planted in 1985 and our first vintage was in 1989. Our main varieties are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Gamay with smaller quantities of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Semillon and Pinot Noir for the blends we are well known for. The grapes are processed at the vineyard and traditional methods are used in the wine making process with fermentation being carried out in French Barriques. Our policy is to produce hand made wines and our low production allows individual attention to be given to each barrel of wine thereby ensuring maximum quality and flavor. We have been using sustainable farming methods in the vineyard from early on and have been certified Demeter by the Biodynamic Research Institute Powelltown since 2008.

The family has a tradition of winemaking that goes back over 500 years to the Mosel River in Germany. Barry’s grandfather, Jacob Barzen, emigrated to Australia to work on a family vineyard and winery at Dookie. This vineyard has since been sold and converted back to grazing land. The name Sorrenberg comes from a small vineyard owned by the Barzen family near a town called Reil on the Mosel.