Destination: 'Gemtree, McLaren Vale’



Paul and Jill Buttery bought their first vineyard on Tatachilla Road in the heart of McLaren Vale in 1980. Today Gemtree owns 330 acres of prime vineyard with varieties such as Shiraz, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Savagnin and Verdelho. The family is dedicated to producing fine wines of the highest quality from their McLaren Vale vineyards which since 2008 have been farmed biodynamically and are in conversion to certified organic. Paul and Jill's daughter Melissa Brown is a trained viticulturist and manages the vineyards, while husband Mike Brown is head winemaker. Since 1998 Gemtree has been developing the 10 ha Gemtree Wetlands. Having created six dams and planted in excess of 50,000 native trees, they are now working in partnership with Greening Australia to create an area of biodiversity which is a major haven for native plants, frogs, birds and other animals, as well as being a great teaching resource for the community