The Centare project is a new and unique, close planted (1 metre x 1 metre = Centare) vineyard that focusses on the best available clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.

The Yarra Valley is one of Australia’s most renowned and prestigious cool-climate wine regions. It produces some of the most exceptional varietal wines in the world.

Centare Vineyard is located in the heart of the region and is one of its most exciting new projects.

The original Centare Vineyard blocks were planted to Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon in 1998.

The vineyard is ideally situated, on the edge of the Golden Mile of world-class vineyards, alongside a number of iconic producers, at the base of the Warramate Hills.

Vigneron, Simon Li, established Centare Vineyard when he purchased the property on the auspicious date of the 8th of August 2018 (080818), with the dream of planting a European style, very high-density vineyard and a focus on the less typical Cabernet Sauvignon family of varieties.

The ambition is to produce the best and most highly-prized red wines in Australia.

High-density planting requires intensive management, exceptional attention to detail and considerable expense to achieve the potential increase in grape and wine quality, from very low yields per vine and vine competition.

What is a Centare?

CENTARE = 1m² or 1/100 of an Are,
as Hectare = 100m² or 100 Ares.

The first 20,000 vines in a new, 2-hectare block, were planted in Spring 2020. Vines will have less than 1 metre between them, and rows will be one metre apart.

The Yarra Valley has long been recognised for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon wines and the Centare Vineyard project aims to take this to the next level.
A typical Australian vineyard has vines planted in rows 2.2 to 3 metres apart, allowing comfortable access for a standard tractor. Vines are then planted evenly along the row, at standard 1.5 metre intervals. The number of vines per hectare typically range from 2,200 to 2,800.

The new Centare vineyard will have rows and vines separated by 1 metre. The number of vines per hectare will be approximately four times the standard, at 10,000 per hectare.

High density vineyards are associated with higher quality grapes, and wines with elevated intensity and character, due to increased vine competition and controlled yields. Total fruit production per hectare will be similar from 10,000 vines as for the standard 2,500 vines.

Management of high density vineyards is both intensive and expensive. It requires unique equipment, significant manual input and is not for the faint hearted.

While high density Pinot Noir & Chardonnay vineyards are quite common, particularly in France, it is a structure rarely, if ever, used with Cabernet Sauvignon and its friends (Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot). Centare Vineyard will be ‘one of a kind’.