TarraWarra Estate adds new premium wine experiences

One of my very first gigs as a wine writer was attending the opening of TarraWarra Estate in Victoria's Yarra Valley. 

Owners Marc and Eva Besen put on quite a show. 

 

Four decades on, Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia (UWEA) has welcomed TarraWarra as the newest member of its collection of premium Australian wineries.

TarraWarra Estate brings together cool-climate wine, food, art and nature across a 400-hectare property in the heart of one of Australia's most-visited wine regions.

The Besens purchased the property in 1979 and launched four or five years later. 

Today, the estate encompasses 23.9 hectares of vines, an extensive nature reserve, cattle grazing, a kitchen garden, cellar door and restaurant, as well as a spectacular art gallery. 

UWEA executive officer Sarah Myers says TarraWarra Estate's combination of wine, food, art, impressive architecture and landscape makes it a natural addition to the collective.

“What makes TarraWarra special is how seamlessly these elements come together. Visitors can spend time exploring the estate, discovering its wines and food, and engaging with the art, architecture and natural environment in a way that feels distinctly Yarra Valley,” said Myers.

“TarraWarra reflects what we look for in an Ultimate Winery Experience – it goes well beyond wine tasting and gives visitors a deeper connection to the winery, its story and the region."

At the heart of TarraWarra Estate is its striking subterranean cellar door, where visitors can explore wines including chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah, alongside barbera, nebbiolo, pinot noir rosé and a roussanne-viognier-marsanne blend from talented winemaker Sarah Fagan. 

The chef-hatted restaurant is led by head chef Daniel Snooks. 

Two signature experiences will form part of TarraWarra Estate's UWEA offering.

The Vineyard Tour & Tasting ($200 per person) takes guests on a guided tour of the vineyards for an introduction to the estate and its approach to sustainable viticulture, before moving into the barrel hall for a private tasting of chardonnay and pinot noir. 

For a deeper immersion, Land, Vine & Vision ($450 pp) sees guests are welcomed at the cellar door before enjoying a six-course lunch with matched wines at the estate restaurant, followed by a visit to the TarraWarra Museum of Art and the Eva and Marc Besen Centre, where they can view works from the museum's collection that would ordinarily be held in storage. A version including private return transfers from Melbourne is also available for $750 per person.

“We are excited to work with Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia and the wineries it represents, each offering a unique perspective on Australian wine and the regions we call home,” said TarraWarra Estate general manager Samantha Isherwood.

TarraWarra Estate is at 311 Healesville-Yarra Glen Road, Yarra Glen. 

The cellar door is open Tuesday to Sunday, with the restaurant open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch.

Fagan lands a plum wine role in the Yarra Valley

The talented Sarah Fagan has been appointed as the new chief winemaker at Tarrawarra Estate in the Yarra Valley.

Fagan, who has spent almost two decades working with Steve Webber and the DeBortoli Yarra Valley team, starts her new role next week.

Back when I first started writing about wine, Rob and Judy Hirst from Fine Wine Partners invited me to the launch of a new wine label owned by clothing industry icons Marc and Eva Besen.

That was back in the mid 1980s. Since then Tarrawarra has added a top-notch restaurant, a museum of modern art and become recognised as one of the standouts in the Yarra.

Fagan, whose family have their own vineyard in Cowra, joined De Bortoli Yarra Valley as a casual vintage worker in 2003 and progressed through the ranks to her most recent role as senior winemaker.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey at De Bortoli and I am proud of the wines we have made
over my time of working with their vineyards," she said.

"Tarrawarra Estate has always carved its own independent path here in the Yarra Valley and I look forward to continuing this tradition and embracing change and the development of Tarrawarra Estate into the future.” 

The Besen family say their philosophy has always been rooted in respect for excellence, provenance, and sustainability, with the vision to "produce wines of great quality and integrity, amidst a location of beauty and welcome".

Fagan will be responsible for all aspects of Tarrawarra Estate winemaking and winery operations.

An experienced wine judge, she has studied cool-climate winemaking in regions all over the world.

“We are absolutely delighted that Sarah has chosen the Tarrawarra Estate role as the opportunity to
spread her wings," said Tarrawarra Estate general manager Samantha Isherwood.

"We welcome her to the production team and look forward to seeing her personal stamp on future Tarrawarra Estate vintages.”

All of TarraWarra Estate’s wines are grown, handpicked, vinified and aged on the estate. See tarrawarra.com.au

McCallum steps up at TarraWarra Estate

Adam McCallum is the new chief winemaker at leading Yarra Valley producer TarraWarra Estate.

He takes over from long-time winemaker Clare Halloran, who is taking a break and departed earlier this year.

McCallum was born and raised in the Yarra and has worked at wineries in both Australia and France.

He started in the industry at the bottom, working in a wine shop in Croydon and behind the bar at the Yarra Glen Hotel before catching the wine bug.

After a chance encounter with Steve Webber, he was given the opportunity to work his first vintage at De Bortoli Wines in the Yarra, kickstarting his career.

His CV includes stints in Domaine Motrot in Burgundy, at Yarra Yering and McPherson Wines in Victoria, Frankland Estate in Western Australia, and most recently under O'Halloran at TarraWarra Estate.

He says he enjoys drinking wines that are subtle, elegant and well balanced, and believes these attributes are not exclusive to expensive wines. His varieties of choice are, unsurprisingly, pinot noir and chardonnay - TarraWarra Estate’s most celebrated wines.

​TarraWarra Estate is a 400-hectare property which includes 28 hectares of vines and a lovely cellar door and restaurant, as well as the TarraWarra Museum of Art. See tarrawarra.com.au