Award-winning Four Winds Vineyard for sale

One of the Canberra region’s most celebrated wineries is up for sale, with the owners looking to leave on a high after sweeping the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards last year.

Family-owned Four Winds Vineyard at Murrumbateman brought home five major trophies including the coveted 2024 Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy.

The sale marks the end of an era for owners John and Sarah Collingwood, who took over the vineyard from Sarah’s parents Graeme and Suzanne Lunney 15 years ago.

Only 30 minutes from Canberra, Four Winds Vineyard has long been a destination for wine enthusiasts, producing award-winning riesling, shiraz, cabernet, and sangiovese.

Four Winds Vineyard’s 2023 Shiraz took out the Jimmy Watson award in November. The Collingwoods sold out of the vintage within days.

The winery also scooped awards for Best Shiraz, Best Single Vineyard Wine, Best NSW/ACT Shiraz and Viticultural Excellence.

The vineyard’s cellar door has become a magnet for day-trippers – its signature woodfired pizzas and at-the-table wine tastings attracting nearly 30,000 visitors a year.

Ms Collingwood said that while sad to be leaving a place dear to three generations of her family, she and her husband and their two young children felt it was the right time to hand over the baton.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built, but it’s time for new adventures,” Ms Collingwood says.

“Winning an award as prestigious as the Jimmy Watson feels like the perfect high note to step away on. This place has given us a great sense of purpose and achievement – and we’re excited to see who will take it forward.”

But there is still harvesting and making this year’s vintage to do. The property is being sold as a going concern so Ms Collingwood hopes that there can be a smooth handover to the new owner.

“We weren’t sure how long the process would take, so we wanted to make sure that we hadn’t left the building before the business had been sold,” she said.

Ms Collingwood said she wasn’t sure what was next but they won’t be moving far or leaving the industry, going to nearby Kyeema Estate, which Four Winds acquired in 2019 and where her parents now reside.

She did not know what the sale would make, given there were so many elements to the property.

The sale includes the Collingwoods’ stunning four-bedroom home with tennis court and woodfired pizza oven in the garden, 12-hectare vineyard, and strong business infrastructure making it an attractive investment for wine lovers, business owners, or those looking for a premium lifestyle change.

The property itself spans 20 ha.

Windrose Property selling agent Sam McGregor said Four Winds was more than just a home or a vineyard.

“It’s an established, profitable brand with national recognition,” he said.

“It’s not every day a property of this calibre comes up for sale.”

Mr McGregor said being so close to Canberra’s thriving tourism and events scene, the property could also be a venue for weddings and corporate events.

To learn more see the listing at Windrose Property.