Naturally produced wines with outstanding drinkability! Highbank’s vines are grown without the use of chemical herbicides or insecticides, and have been farmed according to biodynamic principles for over 25 years. The family vineyards are located only on the the highest banks of terra rossa soil, overlaying the cigar shaped limestone ridge of the renowned Coonawarra […]
Two private retreats offer seclusion amongst the vines. Honeysuckle Rise comprises two beautifully appointed self-contained facilities, which offer privacy and location in the heart of the Coonawarra wine region, and a touch of Tuscany on the Limestone Coast. The accommodation is located within the vineyards of Highbank vineyards and affords guests the opportunity to soak […]
Although wine today is a very different beast to wine 20 years ago, not every bottle of wine on the shelf is designed to drink well within seconds of you leaving the supermarket. Some bottles will need time to gather dust before really showing their best, and getting hold of them shouldn’t cost you a fortune, or […]
Excerpts from The Australian Wine Guide, 4th Edition, Late 2008 Highbank Wines rated as “outstanding”. In his review, Clive says, “On the boutique winery front, American Dennis Vice at Highbank makes an organic Cabernet blend that has Bordeaux-like structure and elegance, a wine definitely worth hunting down.” The 4th edition was published in late 2008. […]
Organic and biodynamic wines are now more accessible, says Louise Radman. Long before organics were cool, Coonawarra vigneron, Dennis Vice was blazing a trail across the terra rossa. Arriving here from California in 1985, he conducted organic field certifications for NASAA(National Association of Sustainable Agriculture Australia), wrote the viticulture curriculum for TAFE SA and worked […]
Holidays at last, and a picnic lunch in the vineyards is a highlight. A lady beetle purposefully struts across the recycled timber table skirting around our ham and tomato rolls. A magpie tenderises a plump earthworm before it becomes part of the food web. An ancient gum tree with homely hollows aplenty attracts parrots and […]
Dennis and Bonnie Vice were pioneers of organic viticulture and farm based tourism in the Coonawarra. The region is famous for its superb reds, produced on the districts terra rosa soils. The red soil is spread over a limestone base, which provides excellent drainage, deep rooting and deep soil moisture storage – ideal country for […]
Highbank is starting to appear in the right places. They’re on the shelves of such high profile wine shops as Morrell at Rockefeller Center and Whole Foods at the Time Warner Center. They’re served at top-end restaurants including Daniel, Artisanal, and Masa. Just-opened Yumcha, the buzzy Asian fusion restaurant in Greenwich Village, will shortly inaugurate a […]
As you drive along the Riddoch Highway north of Penola, you pass many wineries, right and left, and then you encounter on of Coonawarra’s smallest, Highbank, situated on the left graced by the well appointed Cottage and Room with a View which provide excellent accommodation for the wine-interested traveller. Out front there is a signpost […]
From the Coorong to the Coonawarra, everywhere you look there is limestone. It is what unites the south-eastern corner of South Australia. Houses are built from it, roads made from it. Limestone is responsible for the craggy coastlines, sinkholes and wetlands, the fossil-filled Naracoorte Caves and Mount Gambier’s mysterious Blue Lake. The water and the wine have […]