ACTIVITIES DRUMMOND

Zig Zag Rd Vineyard was planted in 1972 the third one in Macedon Ranges. It is an unirrigated vineyard of 10 acres with plantings of Riesling, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

The vines are all hand pruned and the reds are made using open fermenters' and a small basket press. All work is done by the owners and their friends.

The wines produced are Riesling, Cabernet Rose, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Sparkling Shiraz and most recently a Sparkling Blanc de Noir.

The cellar door is open from Thursday to Monday where you will be met by one of the family. Tasting is free and groups are welcome. A range of platters is available at the Cellar Door. Groups of more than four need to book.

Birthday Villa is a boutique vineyard at Malmsbury in the Macedon Ranges Wine Region. The name comes from the 19th Century Queens Birthday Mine at nearby Drummond, discovered on Queen Victoria's birthday.

The vineyard has views of the historical Malmsbury Viaduct and is only two minutes walk from the Malmsbury station. One and a half hectares of Gewurztraminer vines were planted in 1968 and another half a hectare of Cabernet Sauvignon following at a later date. The Thomas family concentrate on growing quality fruit nurtured by intensive viticulture practises, producing small batches of high quality wine. The wine is made only from estate grown fruit by wine maker Greg Dedman at Bendigo Tafe.

Birthday Villa wines are marketed mostly in Victoria mainly at the Cellar Door in Malmsbury. In the 2007 and 2008 editions of James Halliday Australian Wine Companion, Birthday Villa wines received four and a half glass ratings for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Gewurztraminer wines.

The Gewurztraminer Auslese is a subtle dessert wine which won the Peoples Choice Trophy at the Daylesford wine show 2008. The Cellar Door is open on weekends.