Our Story

Five In a valley home to 50 wineries and 110 vineyards, rows of trees protect 20 acres of harvesting land. The first planting took place in 1968 by two brothers. They made it a home. They hung their family crest on a farmhouse wall … and they gave the land their namesake, Fergusson.

In the following years the vineyard saw its first commercial vintage, a communal restaurant, the birth of their children, who along with their mother, would later become the keepers of the land. And then, the end of an era – the entire estate burned in the fire of 1989.
Not a single vine was harmed.

With every end comes the dawn of a new day. The following year saw the bearing of a record vintage. The following decades saw the ebbs and flows of winemaking, and farming, and cooking, and community, and family life. It’s a rich history that continues to grow through the preservation and transformation of the land and the people who occupy it.

Today, half a century later, the family continue to share their passion for the drop through a vineyard experience that sees you eating, drinking and escaping into a natural and relaxed setting.

Celebrating Fifty Five Years 1968-2023

Fergusson Winery And Restaurant
Your Place To Eat, Drink and Escape…

fergusson winery

The Land

A small north-south running valley is the home to our half-century old vineyard. Its beauty exists in the unassuming simplicity of its character.

We work off the lay of the land. The cool climate region promises boldness, sweetness, acidity and zest, equally in measure. Because the vines are so old … vintage, the flavour is born from the roots. And that is unfakeable.

We embrace the old as new. That’s our legacy. That and the fruit of our labour … poured into every last drop.

You see, not all vines are created equal.

fergusson winery

Paul Cooper

Paul Cooper is a chef with an impressive pedigree. Starting his career on the Mornington Peninsula as an 18 year old, fresh out of school, he has worked in some of the finest restaurants in Australia, studied under some of the world’s most revered chefs and even been instrumental in helping London restaurant, Pied a Terre, gain a Michelin star.

First food memory

As a child Paul loved eating fat chips and eggs made for him by his British stepmother. “We used to dip the chips into the fried egg yolk. Whilst it sounds horrible, it was truly delicious,” he says. As an accomplished chef, he has, of course, reinvented the dish in a more elegant form, to make it “a bit more in line with what we were doing on the menus.” Paul used potato skin to create crackers and paired them with a confit of egg yolk, giving diners a sophisticated twist on this ‘comfort food.’

What he loves most about the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges

Paul remembers travelling from the Mornington Peninsula to the Yarra Valley as an 18 year old. “We used to do day trips to the Yarra Valley to check it out and see what it was like,” he says. He was refining his palate and building his knowledge about food and wine, experiencing tastings at all the different wineries and learning how to make comparisons between the wine styles on the peninsula and in the valley. When asked if he prefers the wines in the Yarra Valley he replies emphatically: “Absolutely. They’re some of the best in Victoria.”

The People

Ours is a farmer’s approach. We sow fertile soils to produce good products – to harvest future growth.

Our hands get dirty. We feel a connection with the land. This relationship goes beyond what’s in front of us – it’s about cultivating togetherness.

We marry local food – from busy markets – with our wine, to celebrate community and kinship, to offer a taste of the land through the labour of the people.

Our vineyard is our lifeblood. So, ours is a family approach too. Like all families – it’s a source of love in many ways. Like all families, not one is ever the same.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS 1968 – 2018

fergusson winery