Bent Road Wines

Bent Road Winery and Distillery sits on a 40-hectare property in Ballandean, perched on the western reaches of the Great Dividing Range at over 750 metres altitude. The property encompasses vineyard, wilderness and granite boulders with a kilometre of frontage onto the Severn River. The cellar door offers tastings of three distinct wine labels alongside a growing spirits range. La Petite Mort features experimental extended skin-contact wines made with ancestral methods, Wilhelm Scream focuses on classic drinkable styles crafted through traditional techniques, and the Bent Road label showcases the house approach. The on-site distillery houses a Knapp-Lewer 500-litre hybrid pot still designed by Bill Lark, producing gins and cane-based spirits with plans for rums, brandy and whisky.

The newly opened School of Wine and Spirits runs hands-on workshops, guided tastings and masterclasses covering winemaking and distilling techniques. Sessions range from blending workshops to fermentation science, designed for curious drinkers with no previous experience required. The cool continental climate of Ballandean, one of Australia's coolest growing regions, produces wines that visitors often find subtle and elegant with spicy, savoury notes and generally lower alcohol levels than warmer-climate counterparts. Regulars rate the educational approach and the adventurous winemaking philosophy evident across both the wine and spirits ranges.