Our Landmark Series presents limited release wines under distinctive depictions of Tahbilk’s much treasured attractions ... in this instance our original Underground cellars, hand dug in the early 1860s and still in use today.
The Cellar walls are constructed of hand-made bricks and mud-stone quarried on the Estate. The supporting beams and pillars were cut from red gum and iron-bark growing on the property.
Above ground and at the southern end, is the Red Ferment cellar which houses two historic grape presses, along with Polish oak fermenting vats, first used in 1862 and still in use today.
Before 1882 all crushing was done by foot but from 1883 until the 1940s the grapes were transferred from horse-drawn drays to the second level of the Tower and dropped into a crusher on the first floor.
The ‘must’ (grape juice, skin and pips), was then tipped into the open vats below and, after fermentation, gravity fed into oak casks in the Underground cellar
There is storage in both the 1860s Underground cellar and its 1875 'New' cellar partner for some 365,000 litres of wine in French and Polish oak casks. Most of these casks are well over 100 years old and vary in capacity from just over 1,000 to more than 6,000 litres
