Clarendon Hills is one of Australia’s most revered boutique wineries, founded in 1989 by Roman Bratasiuk, a former biochemist with Ukrainian heritage who turned his passion for wine into a career. Based in the Clarendon sub-region of McLaren Vale, South Australia, the estate quickly established itself as a global name thanks to its uncompromising pursuit of quality and a philosophy built around single-vineyard expressions.
The estate is best known for its extraordinary range of old-vine wines, sourced from dry-grown vineyards planted in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. These vineyards, scattered across the hills of Clarendon and Blewitt Springs, provide low yields of intensely flavoured fruit. Bratasiuk recognised early on that these parcels had the potential to rival the greatest wines of the world, and his approach — minimal intervention, strict site selection, and a focus on purity — helped showcase their individuality.
Clarendon Hills is especially celebrated for its Shiraz, with legendary bottlings such as Astralis, considered one of Australia’s finest and most collectible wines. Alongside Shiraz, the estate also produces single-vineyard Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, each crafted to reflect the character of its site. The decision to bottle each vineyard separately was pioneering in Australia, echoing the philosophy of Burgundy in highlighting terroir differences.
The winemaking style is deliberately restrained and traditional. Fermentations are natural (using wild yeasts), wines are neither fined nor filtered, and new oak — often French barriques — is used judiciously depending on the cuvée. The aim is always to let vineyard and vine age speak louder than winemaker intervention. This approach has produced wines of depth, power, and elegance that are capable of decades of ageing.
Over three decades, Clarendon Hills has become a benchmark for what Australian wine can achieve at the very highest level: a perfect marriage of old vines, unique terroirs, and a vision uncompromised by fashion or trend. Today, Roman Bratasiuk’s son, Alex Bratasiuk, plays an increasingly important role in the running of the estate, ensuring continuity for one of Australia’s most iconic family-owned wineries.