Sandra de Pury
CHASING PERFECTION
At the prestigious Yeringberg in the Yarra Valley, among the ghosts of her ancestors, meticulous winemaker Sandra de Pury makes revered wines that quickly sell out.
Sandra’s own history is as interesting as the story of Yeringberg. She’s the fourth generation in a family of Yarra Valley farmers and winemakers. Wine was always on the dinner table. But her path was winding, encompassing a chef job in Hong Kong, hotel management studies in Switzerland, an MBA and world travel as a management consultant. Eventually Sandra’s heritage caught up with her.
Honouring the past and present
Sandra spends her days immersed in history. In Yeringberg’s old stone cellar, she’s surrounded by equipment used by her family for generations. Sandra’s great-grandfather bought the land in the 1860s after immigrating from Switzerland and grew grapes among other things. The property stayed in the family but in the early 1900s the vines were pulled when demand dropped.
In the 1960s, when Sandra was about 5, her father put new vines in – right where her great-grandfather had originally planted. Today Yeringberg is a top-rated Yarra Valley winery. Since 2000, Sandra has run the wine side of things while her brother David manages the vineyard.
At the prestigious Yeringberg in the Yarra Valley, among the ghosts of her ancestors, meticulous winemaker Sandra de Pury makes revered wines that quickly sell out.
“I grew up here, it’s very much in my blood, this land,” says Sandra. “So, we look after it, we live off it. And we plant trees for the next generation and the generation after.
“I’m making wine in the same place that my grandfather, my great-grandfather, and my father made wine. Sometimes I think I can feel ghosts in here, especially late at night during vintage. But it’s a good feeling. It’s very special.”
Sandra makes small batches of elegant, age-worthy wines, including Cabernet, Chardonnay and a Marsanne Roussanne blend. Her traditional, low-intervention approach results in wine that reflects the land.
“The way I make wine is probably not all that different to the way my great-grandfather made it,” says Sandra. “We only make wine from grapes we grow ourselves. And I try not to interfere too much with those grapes. It’s more about letting them express where they’re from and the vintage of that year.
“Our production is tiny, and I won’t bottle anything unless I think it’s worthy of the label. We don’t have a second label; we just have one level. So, if the wine’s not good enough I don’t bottle it.”
“Our production is tiny, and I won’t bottle anything unless I think it’s worthy of the Yeringberg label.” – Sandra de Pury
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