The butcher, the baker, the winemaker – Eat Drink West

Triple-threat producer, Summerfield Wines in Top 100 Wineries

FOURTH-generation owner of Summerfield Wines, Mark Summerfield, is more than just a viticulturalist.

Not only does he run his Moonambel vineyard, there’s a restaurant, an accommodation venue and so much more on the Pyrenees property.

Passionate about food, Mr Summerfield grows pork and lamb, butchers it himself, bakes his own bread and pastries, and makes the famous red wines his surname is known for across the country.

“I don’t know anywhere in Australia that is doing something like what we’re doing, using as much of our own produce as we can,” he said.

“We grow all of our own rare-breed Berkshire pigs and Australian Suffolk lamb, which are black-faced like Shaun the Sheep.

“I’ve been taught to bake using a woodfire oven, so we do our own top-end woodfired breads in German and Italian styles, and we do all our own doughs for our pizzas here, which have all of our own pork and lamb on them.”

While developing Summerfield’s offerings, the producer has been grateful to have connections in high places.

One of his winery members was one of the uppermost trained bakers in Australia, cutting his teeth on woodfired ovens when he was an apprentice.

He was willing to teach Mr Summerfield the tricks of the trade, and now all the restaurant’s bread on offer is made on site, using those specialty techniques passed down.

Beginning a venture into beekeeping to produce his own honey, Mr Summerfield said wine is, and has always been the star of his family’s brand.

“All of our food is surrounding what we’re really famous for, which is our winery; the backbone of the business. We specialise in red wines.

“Shiraz, cabernet and merlot are the heroes, then we have varying levels of those. I make a Family Series of wines which are under the names of my kids, Saieh, Sahsah, and Taiyo; our family’s fifth-generation in Moonambel,” he said.

“Jo, which is our premium wine, is named after my late brother, which is really cool.”

Summerfield is now in the top three per cent of James Halliday’s Top 100 Wineries in Australia.

The Moonambel site’s visitation stats have grown exponentially in the last couple of years, with the support of rural and regional Victorians.

From 25 to 50 people maximum visiting per week, the venue now tends to welcome between 150 and 300 people on a typical weekend.

Mr Summerfield said it’s a “wonderfully central” attraction for people in nearby regional centres, or for city slickers as it’s only two hours from Melbourne.

“One point five million tourists are coming to Ballarat to see family each year, and looking for something to do, so it was a no-brainer to build on our business and its ambience.

“We’re an outside-inside dining place. We’re putting in a 300-plus square metre area of turf, and a pergola, where people can relax for hours,” he said.

“Sit back, spend the day or stay in our accommodation, enjoy the food and have a great time. We’re not a one trick pony.”

Visit summerfieldwines.com.au.