Bird On A Wire

Caroline Mooney (Moons to her mates) was born and bred in the Yarra Valley. It’s home to the family business (the Yarra Valley Dairy), vineyards she has been working with for decades and a strong support network of talented and hardworking winemaker friends. She’s grown up under the wing of the Yarra Valley wine industry, working for, and with some of the most recognisable names in the game today.

Her rise through the ranks was jarringly fast – from her first vintage in 2000, to Assistant and white wine maker under Tom Carson at Yering Station by 2004 – it was a baptism of fire and placed her on a quick path to success.

Caroline draws inspiration from the land she grew up on, her friends (the brain-trust of Yarra Valley winemaking) and her trusted growers. Her approach is a philosophical one and her passion and transparency are reflected in her wines. It was a vintage/honeymoon at Chave in the Northern Rhone that seems to have had the biggest influence on Caroline’s approach to winemaking—cementing her holistic approach and reinforcing her belief in wines ability to express itself in profound and highly impactful ways.

As everyone that works in the wine industry will know, you live and die by the strength of your relationships. Caroline has spent decades forging and nurturing relationships with great growers, allowing her to gain access to some of the most stunning fruit in the Valley. The Franco influence shines through again in the varieties she crafts – Syrah, Marsanne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Her impeccable fruit sourcing and commitment to responding to the vineyard and its terroir, creates wines that reflect their time and place. These wines are made with feasting in mind, she chases tension, ripeness and purity above all else.