winery

ABOUT

Stumpy Gully Vineyard

Stumpy Gully Vineyard is built upon the laughter and love of the Zantvoort family.

The journey began when Frank and Wendy Zantvoort moved their four young children to an old dairy farm and toiled to grow the vines that now produce the extraordinary vintages of Stumpy Gully and it continues with the next generation in Michael and Elizabeth and their three daughters.

But there are many families that are connected to this beautiful boutique Vineyard from the D’Auria family who run the on-site Restaurant to the wider much cherished team and their families that are integral in making this a truly authentic family vineyard.

Each one of the extraordinary people who work with us now and those that have worked with us in the past have each added something to this special place.

 

At Stumpy Gully Vineyard we want every guest to not just understand and feel the passions of the present and past teams but to truly appreciate the hard work, sacrifice, love and laughter that goes into every bottle and every element of the service for your visit to the truly special place.

Our history

learn about our journey

Stumpy Gully Vineyard was established in 1989 by Frank and Wendy Zantvoort. The first 20 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne and Cabernet Sauvignon were planted on dairy land unused for many years, on Stumpy Gully Road in Moorooduc. The first few vintages were all hands on deck with family and friends called in to help across all aspects of production. By 1995 with a cellar door now open and the Stumpy Gully Label finding some traction in the market the business was on the way. Further plantings in the 1990’s on a new site on Stumpy Gully Road means there is now 80 acres under vine. As a consequence the winery was extended and a new label Peninsula Panorama was released. In 2016 the Cellar Door area was renovated with a fully equipped professional kitchen and restaurant seating. Stumpy Gully Vineyard is now in its second generation of family winemakers, lovingly run and maintained by owners Michael and Liz Zantvoort.

Our future

Our vision
Stumpy Gully has always looked to adapt, improve, and grow to ensure our business and productivity is maximised. But we have also always stuck to the idea that if you love what you do you can’t help but succeed. This is what is at the heart of decisions made today and for the future. We hope the next 10 years will see the development of our label Nationally. Closer to home we are looking forward to improving the experience of all who visit our cellar door.

our team

Michael Zantvoort

Owner & Winemaker

Michael grew up among the vines, learning about wine making from his parents, and has done everything on the vineyard from planting to bottling. He’s usually found working around the Stumpy Gully Vineyard or on the road meeting various clients in Melbourne and Sydney. He studied Viticulture and Wine Growing at Wagga and loves camping and spending time with his three girls.

Liz Zantvoort

Owner & Business Manager

Elisabeth has worked at Stumpy Gully for over 20 years, and even though she has tried her hand at many roles, today you will mostly find her in the office and occasionally greeting customers at the Cellar Door. “It’s a great place to work there’s always something going on and I also love the seasonal nature of life on a vineyard.’

Being part of a family owned business has been a real pleasure. We don’t always agree but we always make up! I hope that all visitors feel a part of something special we are trying to create.

Brian Sinclair

Brand Manager

Brian has been in the wine industry for over ten years now, the majority of those years have been with Stumpy Gully.

Having done an extensive range of vineyard & winery work with the Zantvoorts, Brian has a great passion & appreciation for the wines that Stumpy Gully has become very well known for.

Frank & Wendy Zantvoort

Founders of Stumpy Gully Vineyard

Frank and Wendy moved to Moorooduc in the early 1980’s. ‘We’d planted a lot of trees here and we liked wine and then thought “why don’t we put a vineyard in?” ‘It sort of went on from there -a hobby that took over our lives. Wendy studied wine making at Charles Sturt University. Frank continued to work as a Physiotherapist while working part time in the vineyard.  In 2016 Frank and Wendy took a step back from full time vineyard and winery work, although they continue to share the knowledge and experience gained over the past 26 years with their son Michael who is now owner and Director.

 

our timeline

1988

Stumpy Gully’s original 20 acre block planted of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne and Cabernet Sauvignon.

1991

first vintage of Sav Blanc and Marsanne hand picked and made onsite

1993

First vintages of Stumpy Gully labels Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc

1994

Planted another 5 acres of Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Shiraz and first Peninsula grown Sangiovese,

1995

Cellar opened one weekend per month from original winery barrel room area

1996

Extended winery to 120 tonne capacity

1998

Planted Cooked Post vineyard, all red varieties

1998

Introduced Peninsula Panorama label into Australian Market.

2000

Purpose built new cellar door and functions area

2003

Released family reserve wines Crooked Post and Magic Black.

2006

Stumpy Gully Restaurant established

2010

Planted Sinclair block of Pinot Noir (4 new clones), Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Viognier