Hanging Rock Winery Retreat
Wine in Macedon Ranges

The hanging rock winery is our trading name. We specialise in macedon ranges sparkling wine and heathcote shiraz. The largest winery in the macedon ranges. We have a wide rage of wines to suite most palates and budgets.

At that time Ann worked in her family’s business Terrell’s and John was the beginning winemaker of a large fresh winery in town Rose mount Estate. After a scanty years John Ann decided it was time to start their own venture The Hanging Rock Winery. He wondered how appropriate this soil would be for growing grapes. It is arid grown and in a good year produces 1 tonne to the acre of fruit. The Hanging Rock Winery was established in 1983 and is located in the Macedon Ranges Wine Region (Australia’s coolest grape growing region), impartial an effortless one hour drive from Melbourne. Ranges they have always had a love and affiliation with Heath cote as a Shiraz growing region. Behind a number of years abroad learning, it was decided that it was time for him to return to the family business as the Chief Winemaker in 2011. John his father, who had started the business 30 years earlier, had decided it was time to semi retire to run the family’s other business Hanging Rock Beef, whilst of course keeping a close eye on his son. Ruth and Rob grew up at the Hanging Rock Winery. A Macedon Ranges wine tour makes a great Melbourne day trip. Come experience the wines you love direct from the vineyards. Back in the hasty 1980’s, John and Ann Ellis, both in their mid30’s and with two little children, decided to take a giant leap of faith and establish their own winery Hanging Rock Winery in the Macedon Ranges. It all started 8 years ago when John and Ann Ellis were visiting the Royal Melbourne Show. Ruth Ellis had always thought that if she wasn't going to be in wine (the industry in which she grew up) then she would want to market cattle. John and Ruth know all about shows between them they have over 40 years of national wine divulge judging experience. Wine maker John Ellis has turned his passion for cattle into a business. We're having a vast wine disclose season, which has continued with the addition of a silver medal at the 2015 Ballarat Wine Show. The Hanging Rock winery was planted by John and Ann Ellis in 1983 at their Jim property. Hanging Rock is in the Macedon Ranges wine region, but a important contribution to its business is the Shiraz grown in the Heath cote wine region. Hanging Rock, based in Macedon and especially renowned for its intricate sparkling wines from that region, has long made one of Heath cote's leading Shiraz, with John Ellis sourcing from former Seeker, Athol Guy's vineyard, Athol's Paddock. Extreme heat and a parched land vineyard resulted in the maximum intense Heath cote Shiraz we have ever made. Very little berries and high seed to juice ratio meant that the wine is insanely dismal in color and intense in flavor. We had to be very careful to control the amount of tannin extraction resulting from the seeds and unintelligent dried fruit character, which can be an issue in these circumstances. There is no factory as such at Hanging Rock Winery, the setting and the people create an undeniable charm that embodies both the wine and the experience of Hanging Rock.'.

What happens when 'The Princess of the Hunter' meets 'The Young Turk' in the industry? In the slow 1970's, Ann, the daughter of one of the maximum prominent figures in the Australian wine industry Murray Terrell, met one of maximum talked about young winemakers of the time John Ellis, and the rest they say is history. At that time Ann worked in her family’s business Terrell’s and John was the beginning winemaker of a big new winery in town Rose mount Estate. Despite some local fame and notoriety they decided to pick up and move to Victoria. Their first move was to Echuca, an unlikely spot to start a winery. Behind a few years John Ann decided it was time to begin their own venture The Hanging Rock Winery. They chose The Macedon Ranges because of its climate. The region is arguably the coldest in Australia, flawless for making sparkling wine their vast passion. Over the after couple of years the beginning grapes were planted and the winery house was built. He wondered how appropriate this soil would be for growing grapes. John was asked to make the wine from the Mt Ida Vineyard for Leonard French and his love affair for Heath cote wine began. He decided to lease a vineyard on the Mt Camel range. Unfortunately behind a few years the vineyard all but died from salt leaching through the soil. In 1994 Athol Guy from The Seekers' fame decided that he required a vineyard. He and John agreed to form a partnership. Although we bought the vineyard from Athol a number of years ago it will eternal be known as Athol's vineyard, for without him it wouldn't exist.