What Wines Does Polperro Winery Produce?

Polperro Winery in Red Hill makes cool-climate wines from the Mornington Peninsula, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as its core focus. Its range spans three tiers — Polperro Single Vineyard, Polperro Estate and Even Keel — plus other varieties including Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, Rosé and a Cortese. If you want to know what to taste or buy, the answer depends on whether you're after a site-specific single-vineyard wine or an approachable estate or entry-level bottle.

The three tiers

Polperro's own description of its range sets out a clear hierarchy:

• Polperro Single Vineyard — wines that "capture the essence of the maritime climate of the Mornington Peninsula and the unique expressions of five individual vineyard sites," specialising in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
• Polperro Estate — produced from the estate's own Mornington Peninsula vineyards, where individual parcels are blended to create the estate style.
• Even Keel — a separate label within the portfolio, covering varieties such as Pinot Noir, Rosé and a red blend.

So the practical distinction is: Single Vineyard wines express one site, Estate wines blend parcels from the home vineyards, and Even Keel sits as its own line.

Varieties in the current release list

The winery's site lists these wines (with vintages shown as published):

Two things stand out. First, the named single-vineyard wines — Mill Hill, Talland Hill and Coverdale — are all Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, matching the stated specialisation. Second, the range goes well beyond those two grapes, with Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, Rosé, Cortese and a Portuguese-variety red blend under Even Keel.

What the style is like

Polperro describes its approach as a mesh of traditional and contemporary winemaking, and the estate is repeatedly noted for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in particular. Published praise on the site includes Huon Hooke calling Sam Coverdale's work "some of the peninsula's best pinot," and Matthew Jukes naming a 2021 Chardonnay among his 100 Best Australian Wines for 2022. Mike Bennie has described the wines as increasingly refined year on year.

Treat these as third-party opinions rather than guarantees — they tell you the house is best known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which is consistent with the single-vineyard lineup.

How to decide what to try

• If you want the clearest expression of a specific site: look at the single-vineyard wines — Mill Hill, Talland Hill or Coverdale.
• If you want the house style at estate level: choose the Polperro Estate wines.
• If you want something other than Pinot Noir or Chardonnay: the Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, Rosé, Cortese or the Even Keel red blend are the alternatives.
• If you're visiting: the cellar door is in Red Hill and the winery is open Wednesday to Sunday, so tastings are the most direct way to compare tiers side by side.

Vintages and availability change, so check the current release list on polperrowines.com.au before deciding.