AN EXPERIMENT on a small Riverina block has turned into a vintage business for Don and Jo Hearn, writes SANDRA GODWIN

What started as an experiment on 8ha in the heart of broadacre farming country has become a success after 16 years.

Don Hearn always wanted to settle one day in the southern Riverina, where his family had farmed since the 1950s, growing Hereford cattle, sheep and cropping.

After meeting his wife-to-be, Jo, in London - the two young Aussies had been backpacking around the world - they returned to Australia and, with access to 8ha of sandhills at Caldwell, pondered ways to turn such a small block into a viable business.

They settled on wine grapes after ruling out other potential small-scale enterprises such as bush tucker and herbs, with Don working on, then later managing the family's 451ha cattle property Restdown.

The first 1.6ha of merlot and semillon grapes was planted in 1996 and Jo, a former teacher, embarked on a series of courses to learn the art of winemaking.

Over the years, they have added shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese and chardonnay plantings, bought another 436ha of grazing country and, in 2002, built an unusual underground winery and cellar door.

"We just thought this was a fantastic place to put down roots," Don said.

"This climate is similar to parts of Europe - Italy and France - that have very good established wine regions.

"We thought, 'Just because it hasn't been done before, doesn't mean it can't be done'. Because we're the only ones out here and it's never been done here before, we thought we'd better plant a few different varieties to see which ones work.

"As it's turned out, they've all worked."

Don said he and Jo did not necessarily make wine from all of six varieties of grape every year.

"We'll just concentrate on which ones are selling the most, which ones we've got the most of in storage and which ones had the better season," he said. "I certainly wouldn't be pulling any of the vines out.

"They all make very good wines. It's been a nice surprise."

With an average annual rainfall of about 400mm, the 10,000 vines on almost 8ha use about 27 megalitres of water a year.

The vineyard is about halfway between Moama and Barham and only 5km from the Murray River, but water is delivered by Murray Irrigation channel from Deniliquin.

The vineyard produces about 80 tonnes of grapes a year, which are harvested by a combination of hand picking and mechanical harvesting.

The Hearns aim to make about 1000 bottles of their Restdown Wines from six varieties every year.

The reds are aged for three years before being released.

The remaining 85 per cent of their grapes are sold to bigger wineries.

Seven years ago, the couple started using organic fertilisers and sprays as a prelude to seeking organic certification.

"Being a conservative farmer I wanted to have a go at running this place organically to see if it could be done before I invested all the money into certifying," Don said.

"As it turned out it's a great area to go organic in, because of the low rainfall in summer and the dry heat."

Jo said their relative isolation - the nearest vineyards are 40km away - also worked in their favour.

"We don't have other vineyards around where diseases can come from," she said.

"Going down the organic-biodynamic path has been very positive for us because we like to work with the environment, with nature, rather than trying to battle against it. It has fitted well with our philosophy and we're finding people respond to that when they taste our wines."

Jo said minimal use of preservatives kept the wines "as fresh and vibrant as they can be". She was hopeful organic certification would give them a marketing edge and help the winery become more profitable.

"At the moment the wine industry is really tough," she said.

"There's some very good wine at very cheap prices but it's not always going to be like that. There are signs of balance starting to come back."

Restdown Wines are sold Australia-wide via a website, the cellar door and farmers' markets, and the Hearns have a Facebook page.

Don said they had no grand plans to expand production.

"That way the winery takes care of itself, the grapes are separate and then the beef cattle and the farm is a separate entity as well," he said.

"Each of the three is structured so they have to perform."

After a decade of drought and plummeting cattle numbers, Don is rebuilding the herd, which now numbers 80 breeders, with 10-month-old-calves that will be weaned in March.

They will keep the heifers and sell the steers at 350-450kg through the Echuca saleyards.

Over the past seven years, the farm has been converted to native pastures, with the cattle performing substantially better and the herd health excellent.

"We aim for 100 per cent ground cover at all times, which then gives us the option of direct drilling lucerne or oats into existing stands for hay making or grazing," Don said.

"The native pastures don't suffer insect attack and don't need fertilising, so big savings are made on inputs and the bottom line."

As well as contributing to growth in paddock feed and an excellent spring budburst, last year's rain has revived a nearby 25ha ephemeral wetland.

With funding from the NSW Murray Wetlands Working Group, the Hearns set up a 1.5km self-guided walking trail so visitors can learn about the vegetation, indigenous sites and farming practices that work in harmony with conservation.

They also are part of a project with the Murray and Wakool shires called the Back Roads Trail, aimed at encouraging passing traffic for local farm businesses. To be launched in October, the trail features 19 interpretive panels highlighting the area's history, Aboriginal culture and pioneer stories and unique wildlife and vegetation.

  • Visits to Restdown Wines are by appointment. For more details, phone (03) 5489 7221.