Mount Benson is a youthful region which has enjoyed an eventful history. Settled in the 1840s, the land at Mount Benson formed part of a cattle and sheep route between Adelaide and Portland and was used for many years to grow wool, wheat and wattle bark. Today the fairly unobtrusive peak of Mount Benson overlooks a landscape dominated by forestry, grazing and viticulture.

Mount Benson is home to five cellar doors, each showcasing a number of wine varieties which express Mount Benson���s coastal regionality and unique terroir.

Where is it?: South East. The Mount Benson Wine region is conveniently located along the Melbourne to Adelaide touring route approximately six hours out of Melbourne and three hours from Adelaide.

About Mount Benson

Mount Benson is a unique coastal geographical indication situated approximately 300 kilometres from Adelaide and halfway between the historic townships of Kingston SE and Robe in the south east of South Australia. As part of the greater Limestone Coast wine region, Mount Benson is cousin to other well-known winegrowing regions including Coonawarra, Padthaway, Wrattonbully, Penola, Mount Gambier and Robe.

Pass through the region and you begin to appreciate the lifestyle that the people lead here, grazing sheep, tending to crops and fishing for crayfish, intermittently broken up with a trip to the beach to relax the mind and soul. This is the sense of place we aim to convey in every bottle of wine they produce.

The first viticultural trials occurred in the region in 1978, with Colin Kidd of Lindemans planting riesling, traminer, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon at Alfalfa, an almond orchard located approximately five kilometres from the coastal township of Cape Jaffa.

The first commercial plantings consisted of a 2- hectare block of cabernet sauvignon in 1989 by retired crayfisherman Bill Wehl and his wife Margaret, who recognised similarities between Mount Benson���s soil structure and that of the Coonawarra. Since then, a further nineteen vineyards have been established, spanning an area of approximately 600 hectares in total.