Michael Zantvoort was only eight years old when his parents planted their first grapes. So he grew up working in the vineyards that would become Stumpy Gully Vineyard.Today he runs the Mornington Peninsula winery with his wife Liz, after a gradual, decade-long process of taking over the business from his parents, Dutch immigrants Frank and Wendy.
Nestled in Mooroduc, about 50 minutes’ drive from Melbourne, Stumpy Gully takes its quirky name from the road on which that first 12-hectare vineyard was planted back in 1989. The business now encompasses three distinct blocks of vineyards, with the latter two planted in 1997 and 2010. Michael’s parents started by growing grapes for other companies before dabbling in winemaking themselves and trying out different labels.
Best known for sauvignon blanc at the start, Stumpy Gully has since diversified its wines as peoples’ tastes have expanded over the years. Sauvignon blanc gave way to pinot grigio in popularity, and today the two best-selling wines are both pinot noirs. Thanks to the peninsula’s maritime climate, starkly different wines can thrive quite close together.
Enjoy those wines in a tasting at the cellar door, or make it a more leisurely affair at the on-site restaurant.
The cellar door is open from Monday to Sunday from 10am–5pm.
