Protero

Be Brave

Wines produced from a place that has weathered the extremes of nature amongst the Adelaide Hills. 

Home to a unique style of Nebbiolo, the Protero vineyard tells the story of survival with Stephen and Fiona purchasing the property in late December 2019, and within days, battling mother nature as the vineyard became surrounded by fire.  

Ultimately surviving what was the second of two devastating bushfires the region had faced over 20 years, it was from this season of fury – and Stephen and Fiona’s admiration of those who defended it so bravely, that the vineyard was called Protero. 

Having worked with the vineyard in 2005, then Rose and Frank Baldasso’s Gumeracha vineyard, it was the potential of the five clones of Nebbiolo planted in 1999 that excited Stephen and Fiona. 

A variety they both love to drink, and one they believed would suit the region and site, Protero’s Nebbiolo represents Stephen’s understanding of tannin, a paradigm which drives all his red-winemaking decisions. 

While Nebbiolo is at the heart of the vineyard, it is also home to varietals including Gewürztraminer; Pinot Gris, Riesling, Barbera and Dolcetto – all varieties well suited to the landscape, the region and in particular, this place, Protero. 

“We are moved by the bravery behind the history of this vineyard. Our own small act of courage is to try and invest this special place with a new sense of potential. Ultimately, it will be ‛Protero’ that decides which varieties it most faithfully expresses.”