The Ambush Hill Story
Our Grandfather Syd purchased the property in the 1950’s. In his wisdom he planted hundreds of indigenous trees and the vineyard is now hidden amongst native vegetation that is home to an array of flora and fauna. He later handed the reins to his daughter and her husband who together established a successful vineyard with the fruit consistently supplied to iconic McLaren Vale wines.
Enter the third generation, three sons who in distilling accumulated talents have realised the toil and tribulations of generations to create a wine which tells a story of 50 years.
The History of Ambush Hill
In the 1800’s Ambush Hill was a prominent feature of the hills to the North of McLaren Vale. It overlooked the local inn of a neighbouring village, which was known to be a smugglers hangout, where alcohol and tobacco were sold. Ambush Hill provided the smugglers with an ideal vantage point - with panoramic views west to the coast for arriving ships, north towards the town of Adelaide for approaching police and south overlooking Mclaren Vale. It was said that if police raided the inn, the smugglers made a quick getaway by rowing across the river to their waiting horses and escaping over the hill to McLaren Vale.
We purchased this property in 1950 from the family who settled nearby on Ambush Hill in the 1840’s. The Ambush Hill name was lost at some stage and no longer appears on maps, but we have revived the name and our vineyard is still a place to escape to.
Sustainability
The Ambush Hill family farms 88 acres in the heart of the McLaren Vale wine region.
We strive to be as sustainable as possible. We are not connected to Mains Power, we generate all our power through solar. We don’t have a mains water connection, we use rain water. So far we’ve only run out once but luckily a truck comes around with water. Our vineyards use recycled water and we use organic principles in everything we do, growing grapes and making wine and even in our own veggie garden. However, we are not certified organic at this time.
We have just under half the property utilised to produce grapes or planned for future production. 10% of the property is a dedicated reserve. It is pretty much smack bang in the middle of everything and we are pretty proud of this area which was established by Syd in 1950.
Biodiversity
It is home to some rare and beautiful plant species. A large amout of birds utilise the many hollow tree trucks, while echidnas and lizards also wander about too. Most likley the odd Joe Blake, Kangaroos love it too.
We have a reedy wetland which makes up 5% of the property and has many species of frogs. Adjacent is an area about the same size which we are rehabilitating at present, a component of your wine purchase will go towards further work there. Only a small area is taken up by our house and then the rest is a quarter of bush and large trees. So our biodiversity game is strong.