Rahona Valley is among one of the handful of boutique, small producers scattered throughout the Red Hill region. The vineyard is the most densely planted, in term of vines per acre, on the Peninsula. This helps control the vigour of vines as they have to compete for nutrients, resulting in high quality fruit. But producing the best wine requires care and attention to detail. Toby and Dianne purchased Rahona Valley in July 2014, and moved from an inner city suburb of Melbourne to the welcoming community of Red Hill. Their philosophy for Rahona Valley is to produce the highest quality wine through best practice vineyard management and sustainable farming principles including:
‘Natural lawn mowers’ and weed control in the form of miniature sheep.
Cessation of use of herbicides and pesticides
Mulching and composting of canes and other green waste to return vital nutrients to soil
Regular trimming and de-suckering of vines
Intensive canopy management including leaf plucking to promote ripening
Shoulder removal and bunch thinning to produce the highest quality fruit
Mulching and composting of canes and other green waste to return vital nutrients to soil
Water harvesting and retention
Improving the natural environment around the property through removal of invasive weeds and non-indigenous native plants.
Together these practices ensure the sustainability of the vineyard and the natural environment that surrounds.
