Turners Crossing Grape Vineyards Produce Exceptional, Premium Quality Wines

The Vineyard

Turners Crossing Vineyard is located near Bendigo, a historic wine growing region in Central Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the banks of the Loddon River, at Turners Crossing, a popular river crossing used by local farmers in the mid to late 1800's. Wine growing in Bendigo is almost as old as Bendigo itself, with the first grape vineyards planted in the region in 1856.

The 105 acres of grape vines at Turners Crossing are planted on well-drained, red sandy clay topsoil. The subsoil is red light-medium clay, containing limestone pebbles. The grape vineyard is virtually pesticide and chemical free, with only the occasional use of chemicals to control the growth of Cooch grass, which is known to effect the quality of grapes grown. vines are spur pruned and bud numbers are calculated to deliver low yields, ensuring the premium quality of the wine produced. 

The Turner’s Crossing vineyard is planted with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Piccolit and Viognier grapes.  In addition to our own label in past years we have regularly supplied fruit to Hanging Rock, Blackjack, Chateau Leamon, Seppelts, Cellarmasters, Sandhurst Ridge, Mount Moliagul and Carlei Green Vineyards.

Temperatures in the Bendigo region (warm days and cool nights) allow the grapes to ripen during the day and recover at night. This combined with spur pruning and the careful calculation of bud numbers ensuring low yeilds, enables the Turners Crossing wine vineyard to produce wonderful premium quality wine. 

The Wine Maker

Sergio Carlei, the winemaker behind these beautiful wines, is one of the most interesting winemakers in Australia. A first generation Australian of Italian winemaking heritage, Sergio brings real passion to making wines of great distinction.

Australian wine guru, James Halliday, recently referred to the wines Sergio creates as having 'uncommon distinction', an aspect that we are certain he has brought to the wines of Turners Crossing. 

When Sergio Carlei of Carlei Estate initially purchased grapes from Turners Crossing for his Green Vineyard label, he was so impressed with the results he immediately struck up a business partnership with Paul to release the Turner’s Crossing wines under their own label.  The wines received immediate success with the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon receiving a blue gold at the Sydney International Wine Show.  Turner’s Crossing wines are now found across Australia and are exported to four continents.

The Grower 

Turner’s Crossing is the realisation of a dream for grape grower Paul Jenkins, who has spent over 20 years honing his craft on a small wine vineyard at Yankee Creek (a few kilometres south-east of Bendigo) before planting the Turner’s Vineyard just west of Serpentine. 

Many highly regarded wineries including Sepplts Wines, Blackjack, Hanging Rock, Sandhurst Ridge and Green Vineyards, have made wines from Turners Crossing Grapes.

Vineyard Facts:

Location:

747 Old Bridgewater-Serpentine Road, Serpentine, 40 kilometres North West of Bendigo on the banks of the Loddon River.   This section of the Bendigo GI produces some exceptional wines -the vineyard is around 10 kms north of both Water Wheel and Pondalowie Vineyards, and 20 kms west of Connor Park.

Technology:

Soil moisture monitoring throughout the vineyard using gypsum blocks logged every 4 hours using MEA weather station.

Climate:

Classified Cool.  Warm to hot in summer with cool nights.

Soils:

Red light medium sandy clay loams over red light medium clay containing limestone pebbles. Well drained.

Plantings:

28Ha Shiraz (PT23) -1999

12Ha Cabernet (SA125)-1999

0.75Ha Picolit - 2006

1.3Ha Viognier - 2001

First Vintage:

2001

Harvest dates:

Shiraz: Mid-March

Cabernet: March/April.

Average yield is below 3 tonnes per acre

 

Current Awards
5 Star Winery - Turners Crossing Vineyard, 2011 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion  
96 points - 2004 'The Cut' Shiraz, 2011 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 
95 points - 2008 Shiraz Viognier, 2011 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 

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