Ulupna Wines from Goulburn Valley in Australia,
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The Vines

ULUPNA farm has been family owned for over twenty years in the Goulburn Valley, north Victoria. The vineyard commenced operations in 1999.

Our vines are situated on the Murray River, surrounded by the Red Pepper trees and majestic Red Gums of the Barmah State Park.

This unique setting, joined to the area's rich alluvial soils and the hot weather we have all year round, gives our wines a very distinctive taste and aroma.

With profound respect of our terroir, we have desired to capture the spirit of the land and translate it into typical warm region Australian wines.

Winemaking

Since I was a child at a certain time of the year my "nonno" (italian for grandfather) called me downstairs to the cellar of our family house: the time of bottling had arrived. I remember vividly the smell of wine, yeasts and sulphur bisulphite that pervaded the dark air in the cold cellar.

Corks, bottles, demijohns and pipes of various sizes were around us, and I knew that I had to suddenly prepare my seat near the wine tank, waiting for orders. Then nonno started to move the wine from the container to a jar, to load the pipe, and some wine started to occasionally spill around us during the process. In a short time, the operations were set up and I gave my nonno the first bottles to fill and then moving it aside, in a well established order.

We worked together for a couple of days to move the red and the white wines in hundreds of bottles, labeling them with handwritten stickers and corking them with a hand cork machine. They were moved to a safe cold place in a special room near the cellar, we clean everything and put all the tools back in their places. Lot of jokes, lullabies, stories and attention for both of us, and great fun in making something that contributes to every meal throughout the year.

Daniele Ferrari - Winemaker

The Family Adventure

The journey began when Vivian Bogdan and Daniele Ferrari met in Bologna, Italy in 1990. Daniele, after finishing his bachelor degree in Marine Biology and a few years work as a researcher at the Bologna University - the oldest university in the world - worked at the time as R&D Project Leader at the Italian branch of an American company.

Daniele specialized in filtration processes aimed at making drinking water from different sources (wells, rivers, lakes, etc.). He was travelling extensively around the world in order to make experimental campaigns, give speeches and attend specialized congresses.

Vivian reached Italy in 1987 from Melbourne, with a fellowship received from the Italian Government to perfect her skills as a concert pianist. She was Young Talent of the Year in 1986 and had already performed in Australia. She was at the time a student at VCAS in Melbourne and after a masterclass and an audition with Maestro Michele Campanella he invited her to perfect her skills in Italy.