BUY GilGraves Wine
Undisturbed, minimal intervention wine. We like to think that it’s the way wine should be.
Order online, buy in-store, or visit us at the next local wine event.
Visit our cellar door
Tastings and sales: 11am - 3.30pm Wednesday to Monday. Closed Tuesdays.
Find us at Bendigo Pottery.
DRINK GILGRAVES WINE
Find our wine at a range of restaurants and bars in Central Victoria and Melbourne.
Enjoy it with lunch or over an evening with friends.
GilGraves FARMSTAY
Boutique, homestyle accommodation in Central Victoria.
Escape the hustle and bustle and enjoy the scenery. Vineyard Farmstay, Axedale.
“Life is not a dress rehearsal.”
The GilGraves Story
We are GilGraves owners Ken Gilchrist and Kaye Graves - a husband and wife team hailing from Bendigo in Central Victoria. In 2010, we purchased a 50-acre property in Axedale to start a completely new venture. Our tagline is “life is not a dress rehearsal” so we started our second careers i.e farming sheep, growing grapes, gathering farm-friendly animals and offering accommodation on our picturesque farm. A steep learning curve was the path we set for ourselves, doing most of the farm work ourselves.
We farm and grow our grapes with minimal intervention principles. The farm has brought us much pleasure and occasion to seek new knowledge and develop new skills from those who know best! We engaged like-minded experts who guided us in the planting and growing of the vines and the development of our Dorper sheep flock.
The vineyard of four grape varieties was planted with our own hands and the help of family and friends. We purchased high-quality Dorper sheep and rams to breed the stock up to a flock of about 60. We nurture and enjoy our farm-friendly pets, chooks, our 2 new goats and 3 alpacas and our orphan sheep Kathleen.
Our Values
Minimal Intervention
We believe the best wine comes when the winemaker allows nature take its course. It’s the way wine should be.
That’s why our minimal-intervention wines are undisturbed, fermented using indigenous yeasts and are free from added chemicals and nasties. Minimal sulphur is added just prior to bottling. The GilGraves vineyard is organic, without certification.
Family and Friends Come First
Our family and our friends are at the core of what we do. Our wines are a family/friend effort. Our accommodation is a retreat for families of all types, sizes and ages.
Life Is Not A Dress Rehearsal
It’s our motto. It’s what we live by. You too can take risks, change paths, and experience life to fullest.
HARCOURT COOL STORE FIRE
On 9 January 2026 we lost 17,000 GilGraves bottles of wine in the Harcourt Cool Store fire. We had about 50 dozen cases left which was stored elsewhere, hence we had minimal pre-fire stock to continue trading with. To recover we commenced sourcing wines from other like minded local producers. We launched our phoenix series “GilGraves rises from the ashes Jan 2026” which includes:
2023 Vermentino
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
2023 Shiraz
2023 Easy Red.
In March 2026 we picked our own grapes and look forward to producing our own wines again. In the meantime we hope you appreciate and enjoy our phoenix series. We are not quitters.