Welcome to Three Dams Estate
Vineyard and Eco Retreat
Three Dams Estate is a small batch, boutique vineyard and winery specialising in sustainably produced Spanish wine varietals. Established in 2008, our vision was to create a peaceful off grid retreat to escape from the fast paced city life style and to re connect to nature. Our aim is to produce home grown fruit and vegetables, generate all our own power, harness the rainfall and utilise recycled materials wherever possible. Our impact on the environment is the number one focus at all times. Having a special passion for all things Spanish, in 2015 we planted a small Tempranillo vineyard and produced the first vintage in 2018. Since then we have planted 350 Monastrell vines and the Grenache will go in 2020, completing the Spanish Trio! Our Cellar Door is open the first weekend of each month or by appointment and each April, we host the Long Lunch Launch to celebrate the new release wines.
The 20 acre land parcel was purchased in 2007 and consists of undulating hills with many old Grey Box and Eucalypt trees among rocky granite outcrops. Located just 1.5 hrs north of Melbourne, Heathcote has a rich history of gold mining dating back to the 1850's. There was a history of sheep farming on the property but all that remained when we took ownwership were three old semi wild goats!
The house was rescued from demolition in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill and transported in two halves to the property in 2008. All the original Art Deco features remained intact and the house has gradually been completely renovated. We have also completely retro fitted the property to be as energy efficient as possible by adding underfloor, wall and ceiling insulation, a roof air extraction system and external wall shading.
The off grid system has changed significantly since the original installation in 2008. Back in those days, a 120 watt solar panel would set you back almost $900! These days its possible to buy 1000 watts for $1000! The original 12volt gel 110 Ah battery back has recently been upgraded to a 24 volt system with 8 200Ah AGM batteries with a total capacity of 1600 Ah. The solar PV array has also gone from the original 360 watts to 1.8 kWts and can happily run our fridge, washing machine and even a split system A/C unit.
