Our Story 
Born in McLaren Vale.

The History

Beresford Estate has been creating a legacy since 1985 when founder and industry great Rob Dundon and his wife Bronwyn purchased the old Horndale Winery with the vision of producing premium quality wines.

Dundon took up a graduate job at Hardy's. Within 18 months he was given responsibility for making the company’s red wine, fortified and brandy at Tintarra in McLaren Vale. Twelve years later, with Hardys going global, Rob decided to get out and do his own thing, starting Beresford Wines and later Step Rd. He would never say it, but in the process, his wines also won about 2000 medals and 200 trophies at wine shows around the world.

Today our hand-crafted approach ensures Beresford continues to produce wines that capture the elegance, powerful complexity and unique essence of McLaren Vale. Nestled amongst the vineyards in the heart of our estate is Beresford House; a luxurious homestead comprising two exquisite living quarters, an open-plan gallery room and an underground cellar. The bell tower deck provides 360-degree views of the estate property. The iconic tower houses a working grand 1894 Henry Stuckstede cast bronze bell with the German inscription “Frided Auf Erden”, meaning peace on earth. At our Tasting Pavilion, you can choose from a range of tastings or just come along for a glass or two on our terrace accompanied by a platter that celebrates local produce.

The Vineyard

Beresford's vineyard is a true representation of McLaren Vale’s most successful wine-grape varieties – 60-year-old gnarly old bush vine Grenache, balanced Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and leading clones of Chardonnay.

In recent years, we have planted more drought-tolerant, Mediterranean grape varieties to cope with climate change. Fiano has been very successful in our vineyard, located in the “Lost Penny” block. After 22 years since the Lloyd family planted the first Fiano vine, this variety has witnessed remarkable growth in McLaren Vale. The unique climate of the region encourages wines of aromatic richness and textural depth, and this Fiano is a genuine reflection of the journey.

Grillo and Pecorino are our latest plantings, located within the “Pine Block”, originally planted with 1.8Ha 29 rows of Shiraz. These two grape varieties originally came from southern Italy, well-adapted to the warm, dry Mediterranean climate. They can produce wines with incredible aromatics, good acidity structure without the need for acidification, and a crisp, refreshing mouthfeel.

The Winery

Our 5,000-tonne crush Step Rd winery is located in Langhorne Creek, equipped with the latest advancements in vinification technology.  From grape reception through to bottling, our arsenal includes a grape crusher, destemmer, pneumatic presses, and stainless-steel fermentation tanks, meticulously calibrated to preserve the true characters of each varietal.

Our temperature-controlled barrel hall houses an extensive collection of French and American oak barrels, where our wines undergo maturation to perfection. With a comprehensive lab for analysis and quality control, we hold the highest standards of excellence at every stage of production.

Sustainable Practice

Our 5,000-tonne crush Step Rd winery is located in Langhorne Creek, equipped with the latest advancements in vinification technology. Our pursuit of great wines comes with minimal harm to the environment and ensures a long-term viable future for our land.

Innovative Waste Management

In our Langhorne Creek winery, we take pride in reclaiming and recycling 100% of the wastewater generated during the winemaking process. This reclaimed water nurtures a thriving wetland ecosystem within our property, where red gums and native animals flourish. This wetland serves as a natural, balanced habitat, pointing our commitment to ecological balance. We recycle 100% of our grape and marc waste, reprocessing it for use as mulch and composted to provide nutrient-rich fertilizers for vines and other crops. This closed-loop practice creates a mechanism through which elements that come from the land go back to it, bringing further health and vitality to soils.

Our Recycling Initiatives

We continually seek innovative ways to reduce waste. We recycle wine yeast bags that have been utilized and still working with the yeast manufacturers AB Biotek and Redox in partnership with TerraCycle. we actively participated in the REDcycle program, ensuring that soft plastics like pallet wrap are responsibly recycled. We work with the drumMUSTER program to ensure chemical containers are recycled, even though minimal chemicals are in use.

Sustainable Vineyard Practices

We take sustainability seriously in our vineyards. While not certified organic, we strictly limit the use of chemicals, apply pesticides and herbicides only when highly necessary, and focus on developing healthy soils. Additionally, all our estate-made wines are vegan-friendly, as we do not use any animal products in our winemaking process.