The region was first planted in red grapes in 1981, with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Prior to 1991, only 20ha of the region was planted in grapes – growing to over 200ha by 1997 with a further 400ha being planted since 1998;
90% of the land is planted in red grape varieties – 35% Merlot, 20% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc and small pockets of 'Other Red' varietals, including Grenache, Montepulciano and Tempranillo.
The remaining 10% is planted in Chardonnay, Viognier and very small pockets of other aromatic varietals, including Arneis, Gewurztraminer and Riesling.
The first Syrah was planted in 1982 by Alan Limmer of Stonecroft.
