Mallee Estate Wines

Peter and Eleni Markeas migrated to Australia in the early 1960s. In '68 they purchased their first mixed fruit block in Renmark and were looking at retirement in '94, a time when many family blocks were for sale. Their son Arthur, who was living in Adelaide at the time, encouraged Peter to take the opposite course and purchase the neighbour's 8ha block giving room for expansion and specialisation. The crux of the deal was that youngest son Jim, then in year 11 at high school, should abandon his career aspirations as a cabinetmaker and instead enrol into the wine science degree at CSU. Today, there are a number of wines in the portfolio, perhaps the most exciting are those that fall under the Kãti Ãllo and µ ranges, which are centred around refreshing expressions of alternative varieties. The Assyrtiko is consistently the most notable. -HALLIDAY TEAM