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The Vines Worth Keeping: Mike & Callum Garland at Wignells Vineyard
Old vines, an unusual lyre trellis and a father-and-son team determined to preserve what makes this Great Southern vineyard special.
By Tracey Whooley - 7 Oct 2026 - 5 min read
Some vines tell you when they're worth keeping.
When I recently visited the Wignells Vineyard in Albany with Mike and Callum Garland from Fervor Wines talking viticulture, old vines and why provenance matters but there was one part of the vineyard I kept coming back to.
The old Pinot Noir.
Planted by Rob Wignells in 1982, these vines have been growing here for more than four decades. But their age isn't the only thing that makes them interesting.
It's how they're grown.
The Lyre
The Pinot Noir is trained on an unusual lyre trellis system.
Mike and Callum readily admit it's not a system they would choose to establish today. It's labour intensive and considerably more work to manage than the conventional VSP rows growing nearby.
Yet they have no intention of removing it.
Why?
Because the fruit is simply too good.
“Sometimes progress isn't about changing something. It's recognising when something is already working.”
A vineyard that has earned its place
The site is dry grown, with free-draining sandy and gravelly soils over coffee rock. Young vines have to work hard here.
But after more than 40 years, these vines have something young vines simply can't replicate overnight: history, resilience and provenance.
The lyre creates a different canopy and microclimate from the neighbouring VSP vines, influencing the way the fruit ripens and ultimately what ends up in the glass.
From vineyard to glass
The Pinot Noir I tasted came from the best section at the southern end of the lyre block.
Around 25% whole bunch is used in the winemaking, along with 35–40% new Remond hogsheads.
But what interested me most wasn't simply the winemaking.
It was the connection between the wine in my glass and this very particular piece of ground.
WINES FROM THE STORY
Fervor Burning Violins Pinot Noir 2025
The first Burning Violins release to come from the old Wignalls vineyard, planted in 1982. Fragrant raspberry and cherry meet savoury spice and a subtle earthy character, with whole bunch adding structure. Ray Jordan awarded it 95 points and highlighted the concentration and balance of the wine. Ray Jordan Wine
Fervor Wignall’s Chardonnay 2025
A beautifully textured Chardonnay from the same old Albany vineyard. The fruit was handpicked and whole-bunch pressed, then fermented in a 1,350-litre Austrian oak foudre, with full malolactic fermentation adding texture and richness. Think savoury, chalky, complex and long rather than simply big and buttery. Ray Jordan awarded it 97 points. Ray Jordan Wine
WIGNALLS VINEYARD · ALBANY · CHARDONNAY
Available soon
Fervor Wignall’s Pinot Noir 2025
This is the wine I'd really feature beside your discussion of the old lyre vines. It's a more powerful, structured expression of Pinot Noir from the Wignall’s vineyard, with cherry, raspberry, earthy mushroom characters and a mineral edge. Larger-format oak is used, with around 35% new oak. Ray Jordan scored it 96 points and suggested up to 12 years' cellaring. Ray Jordan Wine
WIGNALLS VINEYARD · ALBANY · PINOT NOIR
Available soon
Knowing what not to change
There's a tendency in wine to always look for what's next.
New varieties. New techniques. New ways of doing things.
But spending time with Mike and Callum reminded me that good viticulture can also be about knowing what not to change.
They aren't keeping these old vines because they're nostalgic.
They're keeping them because they're still producing something worth protecting.
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