The first vines on the Meelup (Eagle Bay) Estate were established eighteen years ago, with plantings of Semillon, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Additional plantings of Shiraz and Semillon were established during 1997 and more recently a 2001 planting of Zinfandel. The estate is comprised of some eighteen hectares of vines set amongst the ridges and valleys that surround the winery.

Our vineyard philosophy is based upon sustainable farming practises, of which the key principle is to nurture the biology of the vineyard floor. Inter-row cover crops, soil mulches and canopy management practises are designed to promote balanced vines that are capable of ripening fruit with distinct varietal characters. Pruning and harvesting are done by hand and no insecticides of any sort are used.

Viticultural practises at Wise are aimed at capturing the essence of each variety by balancing vine growth and cropping levels. Bud counts, shoot numbers and bunch numbers are adjusted, where necessary,
to complement vine age, site characteristics and trellis architecture. Vines are hand pruned and the fruit predominantly hand picked providing our winemakers with increased fermentation options.