Megan Blandford

WHEN Peter and Tracie Young asked themselves what to do in their transition to retirement, there was just one answer: wine.
“I asked Peter what he wanted to do in his retirement,” Tracie says, “and he came up with the concept of buying a property, planting some grapes and having a fit and healthy lifestyle. We also liked the idea that we’d keep utilising our business and marketing skills.”
It was around this time that the couple tasted Heathcote shiraz at an event. This prompted them to visit Heathcote, and Peter’s geology and science background made him realise this area held the perfect land for their winemaking ambitions. Both Tracie and Peter felt right at home in this laidback region, so they purchased their acreage in 2008.
It was this land, complete with mining history, trees that are over 200 years old, and registered Aboriginal sacred sites, that would become Silver Spoon Estate. With 20 hectares under vine planted in 1999/2000 and the couple planting 2.5 hectares in 2009, they have been busy upgrading their winery, and building a new off-grid cellar door and bistro in 2021. “We’re very respectful to the land,” Tracie says. “We’re the custodians for a short period of time in history and we want to respect that. And here we are, 13 years later, working seven days a week and loving it.”

The shiraz where east meets west
Heathcote is in central Victoria, just 90 minutes from Melbourne and 30 minutes from Bendigo. The Heathcote wine region is famous for two things: its ancient red Cambrian soil and the rich shiraz produced by winemakers throughout the area.
Silver Spoon Estate is a destination Cellar Door, bistro and winery that makes the most of both those famous traits, growing five different types of shiraz, as well as viognier, grenache, mourvèdre and tempranillo.
Their location in the heart of the Heathcote wine region is 15 minutes out of the Heathcote township, provides an interesting character to the fruit. “We’re on both sides of the ridge, so we have east-facing and north-west facing vineyards at different elevations,” Peter says. “It’s all gently sloping, so we don’t get frost and the soils are well-drained.”
It’s the perfect growing conditions for bold reds, including the award-winning 2018 Hallmark Shiraz. “The flavour profile of the Hallmark is unmistakeably Heathcote: the dark blood plum, the spice, the floral aromatics, the complexity and depth, long finish, and a wine that will gracefully age for 20 years or more,” Peter says.
“The Hallmark is made from fruit that’s dry grown on our vineyards, in the Cambrian soil here. It has components from different blocks on the east side and the west side of the hill of different clones of shiraz picked over 14 days and then blended to taste.”
It’s this blending that is a passion in Peter’s winemaking. “In Australia, we’re too hung up on single varietals. If you look at Europe, the top wines in Bordeaux, for example, are designated by the locality they come from and they can have a range of varieties and combinations in there,” Peter says.
At Silver Spoon Estate, the blends are a nod to the European style that Peter and Tracie love to travel and taste. “Blending is one of the most important things we do, whether it’s blending shiraz with shiraz, or blending grenache with shiraz. Blending builds complexity and develops different styles of flavour profiles which make wines interesting.”
They do a shiraz viognier and a GSM (grenache, shiraz, mourvèdre), two classical Rhone Valley styles. They also have a soft spot for their GST (that’s grenache, shiraz, tempranillo—not a tax). “The GST came from a trip to Spain,” says Peter. “We came back and decided to try a new blend—we call it Death and Taxes.”
The couple laughs at their joke in the name, and it’s this humour which contributes to the charm of Silver Spoon Estate.
“It’s about personality,” Tracie says. “Some people can’t pronounce some of the names, so if you give wines a style and then give them names that suit that personality, it’s easier for people to relate to. People pick up on that and they come back for that, because the wine’s personality suits their palate.”
Peter adds, “The sense of humour takes some of the mystique away, to make wine more drinkable and fun. People who are interested in wine can come here and explore them”.

Experiences that encourage exploration
At Silver Spoon Estate, this exploration is part of the experience that Peter and Tracie have created as part of their sustainable philosophy.
In the peaceful space, visitors love to watch the sheep, kangaroos and the gang of cockatoos that are regulars. And their cellar door wine tastings aren’t what you might expect. “We do sit down wine tastings with the winemakers, with six wines on tasting,” Tracie says. “We also do wine and food pairing with a seasonal menu that regularly changes. I love to see people unwinding and relaxing in this space, and just enjoying it.”
They also run an in-depth winemaking exploration program called My First Crush. Tracie says, “We have a very small selection of people who become winemakers with us for a season, so they’re with us for about a year-and-a-half to make a barrel of shiraz. They go through all the processes with us: picking, crushing, pressing, blending, bottling and labelling. It really changes the way they see wine and buy wine. We have a great spectrum of people from their 20s to their 70s that come on the journey with us.”
Here, it’s all about great wine, delicious food, beautiful vistas, relaxation and a sense of fun. Which is really the perfect blend of ingredients for a great day out in regional Victoria.