GROWING up on the family sheep farm, twins Sarah Moran and Jill Marshall recall asking if the lamb they ate was "real meat" from their own sheep or meat bought from a shop.

Today, Real Meat is the label under which Sarah sells Merino lamb produced on the farm near Ararat.

    AT A GLANCE
  • Who: Sarah Moran and Jill Marshall
  • What: lambs and wine
  • Why: Twins with a taste for enterprise
  • Where: Ararat and Moyston
  • Report: GAIL THOMAS

Meanwhile, Jill produces wine under her own label, Jillian, at nearby Moyston in the heart of the Grampians wine region.

"We are fourth-generation, traditionally wool growers," Sarah said.

"Being identical twins, Jill and I spent all our time together until the end of university, then went our own ways.

"We have now come back together with our two businesses, offering discerning customers something special."

Sarah sells her meat at farmers' markets and through a butcher's shop the family manages, Exclusive Meats in Ballarat.

"We took this shop to gain total control of our product from birth to retail, allowing us to offer a wider range of interesting cuts, including our own specialty sausages," Sarah said.

"The business has grown over past 12 months and is starting to blossom.

"And we now have a licence to sell Jill's wines in the shop."

After both studying food science-biotechnology at the University of Ballarat, Sarah headed overseas, including two years working in Europe and the US, while Jill pursued her interest in wine making.

Sarah has been back on the farm for 10 years - a 1200ha property near Ararat, running sheep, cattle and crops.

"We used to run up to 8000 sheep plus cattle but due to the drought, we have cut back to 4500 sheep, of which 500 are crossbreds," she said.

The Morans are involved in a BestWool BestLamb group, have completed the Lifetime Ewe Management program and also work with Project Platypus and other Landcare groups.

"We are passionate about the wool and lamb industries," Sarah said.

Sarah also teaches woolclassing, trains woolhandlers and distributes shearing equipment and woollen clothing.

"We use Merino sired rams from studs that incorporate meat qualities into their selection criteria."

After an experience during the drought of sending sheep off on agistment only to sell them for $4 each, the Morans took the leap into marketing their own meat.

They started out selling fresh packed pre-cut products at farmers' markets before moving into retail.

"Our lamb is grass fed with very low fat. No fat has been trimmed off, nor is there any excess fat marbled through the meat," Sarah said

"We are gentle and careful with our livestock handling to ensure minimal stress, we are close to abattoirs and we dry age our meat to ensure premium flavour and tenderness."

Meanwhile Jill's passion for wine escalated at Charles Sturt University were she finished top of the class in wine evaluation.

"I started making cream sherry at McWilliams in 1996, worked with seasonal vintages in California and France and then went to Mt Langi Ghiran in 1999 making premium wines," Jill said.

She took the plunge and started her own winery after the first of her four children was born in 2002.

Since then, she and her husband Robert have progressively taken over and now lease his family's sheep and grain farm at Moyston.

Here they run 3000 Merino ewes plus crossbreds on the 1200ha property, of which 590ha is cropped with cereals.

Robert also runs a contracting business including baling, sowing and earthmoving.

Jill said the biggest challenge as a wine maker was marketing, but "we are getting there".

Rather than having her own vineyard, Jill buys in fruit from growers she knows produce premium quality grapes.

"The Grampians region produces distinct varietal flavors and it's fabulous fruit to work with," Jill said.

"I am making a range of dry red and white table wines plus an interesting rose from shiraz, cabernet, merlot, chardonnay and riesling."