Cooperage & nursery

Both the Yalumba cooperage and nursery are iconic contributions to the Australian wine industry and the art of barrel-making is an important part of the Yalumba story.
Yalumba are the only winery in the southern hemisphere to have both on site.

Vine Nursery

Established in 1975, The Yalumba Nursery was originally intended to cultivate quality vines and maintain Yalumba’s own vineyard.

Today, The Nursery is Australia’s most reliable source of quality grafted grapevines with an accredited state-of-the-art vine production facility, which clones, grows and supplies young vines to grape growers around Australia. With a focus on the land’s natural terroir and each clone’s ability to flourish within it, they are at the forefront of quality assurance research in vine health.

Over the years the Yalumba nursery has developed strong relationships with leading grapevine programmes from around the world and has exclusive access to certain new varietals in Australia. This gives them a unique opportunity to evaluate and develop new or emerging varieties before they are sold, earning Yalumba a reputation as a leader in wine innovation.

Cooperage

With an emphasis on crafting bespoke barrels from the ground up, Yalumba are the only winery in the Southern Hemisphere to have an operational, on-site winery cooperage. They select the oak, which Head Cooper Kym Venning carefully crafts into barrels, providing the unique flavour, complexity, and aroma to their wines. Yalumba import their oak from the best forests in the world. After being carefully cut and manipulated into shape, their Coopers gently fire the barrels which penetrates deep into the staves. This process results in a delicate toast that provides the winemakers with greater control and consistency and elevates the natural aromas of the wine.