Dog-lover, winemaker and farm life devotee — Meet our mate Cindy Heley from Monak

Dog-lover, winemaker and farm life devotee — Meet our mate Cindy Heley from Monak

After growing up in Mildura, Cindy Heley left for university, thinking her future lay elsewhere. A 12-month stint of winery work drew her back to The Murray region, and she never left. Now, she calls Monak home.

“I am a local, I was born and bred in Mildura and went away to uni for a few years and came back again. [I] love being in this region; it's just gorgeous…family, familiarity, beautiful climate, community, river, the people.”

Looking for a practical application for her science background, winemaking wasn’t part of her career plans — “I actually wanted to do wine research”. After missing out on a dream role to a researcher with on-the-ground winery experience, she “thought I'd better go off and do my 12 months in the winery and come back [for the] research position”.

Taking a job at a local Mildura winery owned by a large company, “the opportunities were endless… before long, I was in the winemaking department looking after the white winemaking”.

After starting a family, Cindy and her husband decided to start their winery on the property in Monak they had purchased years earlier.

“We're about 20km from Mildura on the New South Wales side, heading towards Euston. We don't have a post office, we don't have a pub, but we have a great gang of people that live around here.…our population is only 46 but it's a beautiful, quiet area.”

Monak Wine Co: Small Scale, Big Vision

They’ve just finished their fifth vintage under their label, Monak Wine Co, and pride themselves on their small-scale, family-owned approach.

“We’re such a small winery in comparison to the rest of our region…we wanted to showcase just how well wines can be made in this region and choose varieties and, harvesting times that really show great expression of the styles that we make here. … We're trying to do something maybe a little bit different.”

That something different includes a focus on sustainability. Monak Wine Co’s vineyards, and those of their local growers, don’t hold the typical chardonnay, shiraz, and cabernet sauvignon the Murray Darling wine region is known for, but instead grow alternatives well-suited to the area.

“We're looking at sustainability from our selection of varieties [that have] been bred for our soil types and climate here. Not only do they taste amazing — we've selected three particular hybrids that we're very, very impressed with — but they're also disease-resistant. So, that creates some massive gains for the environment, huge savings for our growers as well, and creates a beautiful, clean green wine to drink…they're now winning awards at shows.”

Cindy and Paul established a cellar door to welcome visitors a little over two years ago. When they sank shipping containers into the earth for a temperature-controlled barrel maturation area, the rustic charm ensured it ended up as a space for tastings and events. The unique setup is a drawcard, but their personal touch and day-to-day involvement set them apart for visitors.

“When people come out to our cellar door, they'll get to talk to me or my husband…the people who are producing the wines that you're about to drink and can talk about them intimately. I can tell you exactly what that vintage of shiraz smelt like in the fermenter when we were making it, so you get all the knowledge.”

Cindy on The Murray: Wine, Water, and Warmth

While she’s now the winemaker she never intended to be, it’s clear the wine researcher is still there beneath the surface. Cindy talks in depth about the versatile varieties grown on their property — Mataro, touriga nacional and viognier — along with those from other local growers utilised in their wines.

“Along this sort of Murray corridor for winegrowing, I think we can grow anything here… there's some awesome growers in our region [so] I let them do what they do best and I get to reap the rewards…I have a grower who grows petit verdot, so that’s a Bordeaux variety that they don't always get ripe in Bordeaux, but we get it ripe every single year here.”

Cindy’s passion for The Murray region extends beyond the ideal growing conditions.

“We love being on the river…I think we all like it for different reasons. I really love it for the peacefulness of it, my husband is very much an outdoorsy type, and my kids love it for the recreation. So they love skiing, they love swimming.”

Nearby national parks are a family favourite, but she also speaks to the people of The Murray.

“I think, as a visitor to this region, you would find everyone just really friendly and helpful. You'll feel warmly welcomed, and people will only encourage you to explore further. There’s just so much to see and do.”

With “lots of favourite spots” and a tight-knit community to welcome her, coming home to the region was the right choice for Cindy.

“Anywhere up along the Murray, you just get that same sort of feeling of homeliness, that same friendly welcome…it just draws me, and it’s near the water, it’s beautiful.”

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