Topper’s Mountain wines

new england – australia

Two winemaker personalities with vision

Mark Kirkby founded the current winery between 1998 and 2002 with his wife Stephanie and three daughters. With a real passion for this unique piece of land at an altitude of 900 m, Mark completed his viticulture studies in 2001 and planted the vineyard. He initially experimented with some varieties, but found that alternative varieties such as Gewurztraminer, Petit Manseng, Tempranillo, Tinta Cao, Nebbiolo and Barbera thrive well in the vineyard’s red, ochre terroir.
Mike Hayes joined the Topper’s team in 2008 and has since earned the winery numerous trophies and gold medals. A true Queenslander, he has worked as a winemaker and winemaker in 16 regions, 4 states and 2 countries. Together with Mark Kirkby, he is dedicated to presenting the purity and high quality of the grapes of those that come from the high-altitude Topper’s Mountain vineyard. By combining old and new wine techniques, less intrusive winemaking techniques and the wild yeast from the vineyard, the grapes can truly express their varietal characteristics and the local terroir.

Rediscovered wine region with tradition

The area around New England is unlike any other wine-growing region in Australia. This is due to the great altitude of the region, with a large number of vineyards over 1000m, the cool climate and soils and topography, which are excellent for the production of premium wines. Topper’s Vineyard is located north of Tingha, between Armidale and Inverell, on the backbone of the Great Dividing Range in northern NSW. We are located on the western edge of the New England Tablelands at an altitude of 900m above sea level. The vineyard is located high above the valleys of the McIntyre and Gwydir rivers on beautiful, deep, red volcanic soils called Krasnozems, which are very free draining, allowing the grapes to develop a deep root system for their water absorption.
The vineyard specializes in alternative varieties and covers 10 hectares with larger blocks of Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Tannat, Petit Manseng and Shiraz. Pinot Noir, Pinotage, Viognier, Touriga Nacionale, Tinta Cao and Barbera are also part of the grape variety mirror. The high altitude, the cool climate and the special soil conditions produce grapes of the highest quality.