About Us
We’re the Buller family
The Buller family’s roots in Australian winemaking stretch back over a century to 1921, when Reginald Buller settled in the Rutherglen region. His commitment, resilience and love of winemaking saw him emerge as a leader during a pivotal time in the industry’s growth.
Today, that legacy continues through five generations of the Buller family — Reginald, Richard (Dick) Snr, Richard, Kate, and Kate’s children Rippon, Ivy and Archer. The youngest, Archer, is already learning the rhythms of vineyard life, often seen on the old Grey Fergi tractor or helping with hand picking.
On any given day, you might find three generations working together. We are proud to continue this family tradition with Dinah Wines and look forward to welcoming you to our Cellar Door.
We are proud to launch Dinah Wines and look forward to welcoming you to our Cellar Door.
Our Wines
Our philosophy has always been that great wine starts in the vineyard, and with two vineyards within the Rutherglen region we are fortunate enough to be able to ensure our Estate grown products are shining examples of this.
The Dinah Vineyard contains our Muscat, Muscadel and Muller Thurgau, we are working continually with replanting and the rejuvenation of this site. It will take a number of years to get the vineyard to its full potential but it will be magnificent once done. This site is hand-picked and pruned, often with all three generations out helping to get the job completed.
The Chiltern Vineyard was planted by the family in the late 1990s and is home to our multi award winning Shiraz. The sloping block has two clones of shiraz meaning we are able to produce different styles of wine from the one block. This vineyard is machine harvested and hand pruned and is also home to our small flock of dorper sheep who help to keep the grass manicured but unfortunately aren’t great at keeping the birds away during summer.
As a boutique winery we are focused on creating premium, limited release wines. As we can’t grow all the fruit ourselves, we source grapes from premium wine growing regions to create a rounded well-balanced portfolio of wines.
Our Spirits
While the Dinah spirits are a work in progress, the family’s history in Spirit production is a long one.
In the 1950’s Reginald created a distillery in Beverford which he ran, creating brandy, (of which we have barrels still in maturation dating back to 1956) and SVR used to fortify wines such has Muscat, Tawny, Topaque. Moving through the generations from Reginald until now, with the third, fourth and fifth generations working together and expanding the 73 years of distilling history. We are working to create premium spirits for release later in 2024.
Our Location
With the purchase of a chronically neglected vineyard in 2020 the Richard Buller family started the next chapter in their winemaking story.
Welcome to Dinah Wines
199 Distillery Road
Wahgunyah, Victoria 3687
While plans where being drawn up for the future Cellar Door/Warehouse, the family began work clearing and cleaning the building site and driveway.
Vineyard restoration was in full swing. Come our fist Autumn, with the vineyard’s first good pruning in approximately 8 years, and the beautification of the site started in earnest. Deep pink Double Knockout roses were planted at the end of the rows and Aristocrat pears lining the border fence along Distillery Road.
Four years on and with perfect wet winters and hot summers we have been able to slowly replant sections of vineyard and enjoy watching the growth of the roses and trees that now frame our impressive entrance gates.
The past 12 months have seen the construction and completion of the “Big Green Shed” which houses the Cellar Door, with its beautiful red hardwood floor and picturesque view across an expanse of lawn, sheep speckled paddocks towards the tree lined Murray River.
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees; under whose shade you do not expect to sit” – Nelson Henderson
While our newly planted trees are young and the garden still in development, each season / year the change will be dramatic and the generations to follow will experience the love and care we are putting into the site today.
So Who Is Dinah?
To quote from our founder, Reginald Buller’s memoirs, where he is talking about working his new vineyard in 1921. “To help us, Mr Cullen (a neighbour) lent us sufficient equipment to work the vines, until by degree, we could accumulate our own – and sold us three horses – Billy and Model – who was anything but in appearance , and old Dinah who had three sound legs and a fourth badly affected with rheumatism. Mr Cullen was a good friend to us as also was Mr Chambers who lent us a cow.”
Dinah was Reg’s much loved draft horse with whom he spent countless hours working the family and winery with his “girl.”
Draft horses were an everyday part of life and Richard, Reginald’s Grandson can remember the last two to work the vineyard. In the 1950’s and early 1960’s Tom and Bluey, were used for skim ploughing, pulling the burner during pruning and pulling the two wheeled drays at picking time.
Dinah’s memory has become our namesake, a symbol of strength, hard work and love.