The Story.

The Journey.

Monapilla Estate is a 600-acre family-owned farm situated on The Range, overlooking the McLaren Vale wine region. It was founded in the early 1830s and re-established by the Beal family in the 1990s. 35 acres are dedicated to shiraz vines, with the remaining area being a high-quality grazing country for livestock and fenced off creek lines providing natural habitat for native wildlife.

The Vineyard & Grazing Land.

What started as eight acres of dry grown riesling has now become 35 acres of premium shiraz. Consisting of five individual blocks, ranging from 10 to 40 years old. These vines have been cared for and nurtured for the majority of their lives by the Beal family.

The beauty of a small vineyard is the complexity shown in different blocks, which allows us to pick the best fruit available for that given vintage. The other advantage is the attention to detail we can take, from having the same pruner for the last fifteen years to introducing grazing sheep into the vineyard which aids in biodiversity and soil health. This attention to detail and the complexity in the fruit has paid dividends with our grapes being hand-selected for Penfolds Grange.

While always striving to produce the best quality grapes, this is only half the job when it comes to wine. We then entrust Ben Riggs to work his magic and produce our Monapilla Shiraz.

The grazing land is equally well looked after, from what started as a poor unproductive landscape, has now flourished into a parcel of land that we are very proud of. Using sustainable agricultural practices, such as reduced chemical usage and rotational grazing, allows our livestock and landscape to work together and thrive.

The Livestock.

Along with our Shiraz vines, Monapilla Estate is also home to a flock of Suffolk ewes. The Suffolk breed is not only gorgeous to look at, but more importantly, they provide some of the best-tasting lamb you are likely to find. Suffolk’s have always been renowned by butchers and restaurants as the premium breed of lamb, known for having sweet, succulent and tender meat. New technology is now confirming this, with figures showing Suffolk’s are the leading breed for IMF (marbling) and shear-force (tenderness). We place a big emphasis on these traits with the rams we select being in the highest percentage of IMF and shear-force in Australia.

At the forefront of our Suffolk enterprise is our absolute commitment to having the highest standards of animal welfare. This drives everything we do regarding animal husbandry, and we implement the most ethical and sustainable farming practices possible. From providing shade and shelter from the hot sun and cold wintery storms to low-stress stock handling, along with using the latest in animal welfare technology. Even our shearers are chosen for the way they handle our sheep. We want our consumers to feel the same sense of contentment and passion we have, knowing that the animal they are eating has had a near-perfect life. From the day it’s born to when it ends up on your plate. We believe that a healthy and happy animal pays dividends when it comes to eating quality and we always ensure that the animals are never exposed to high levels of stress. If this isn’t enough, science has proven that the meat from animals that are not stressed are far superior in taste, texture and flavour.