The Story Behind Meteora Vineyard

The Catsoulis’ didn’t intend to buy a vineyard. But after a chance weekend in the country, Andrew and Karen fell in love with the region instantly.

We learnt that the best approach for safety and vine health is a controlled burn off.

To achieve this outcome was transformational for our vineyard and would have been impossible without the best advice and team in the region.

Water security was the next major issue. Building a stock and domestic dam was an early priority,

Our first harvest took place across four weekends during COVID, with every row hand picked by friends and family.

Early on, we explored every possibility to retain and repurpose some of the original structures on the property. But after plenty of inspections, conversations and planning, it became clear they simply couldn’t be saved.

The soil was carefully prepared before the installation of more than 1,000 new end posts, over 500 rows of trellising, 5 kilometres of irrigation and 15 kilometres of wire - all completed with meticulous precision in preparation for our new vines.

November 2022 marked a major milestone in the Meteora journey: the first planting of our grafted vines. As the vision for the vineyard continued to take shape, we chose to plant two Italian varieties: Montepulciano and Barbera.

As construction continued, one of our first priorities was replacing the old machinery shed that had made way for the new development.

Bringing beehives into the vineyard felt like a natural extension of what we’re trying to create here at Meteora. Beyond the honey itself, the bees play an important role in the broader ecosystem of the vineyard, contributing to biodiversity and the health of the surrounding landscape.

Creating an underground wine cave required extensive excavation, engineering and precision, with more than 100 holes drilled into the rock before controlled blasts shifted over 800 cubic metres of solid granite to create the foundation for the cave.

We visited a now-defunct olive farm and met with the owner to negotiate the purchase of 200 mature olive trees, many already around 15 years old. Rather than seeing them disappear, we saw an opportunity to give them a new home.

As the vineyard continued to evolve, attention turned to one of the most important pieces of infrastructure on the property: the processing facility and production shed. Spanning more than 1,000m², the slab was designed to support over 50 wine tanks of varying sizes, each placing enormous loads on the structure once filled.

Achieving the building’s distinctive sawtooth required extraordinary precision, with steel fabricators, crane operators, builders and contractors all working together to bring the design to life. The structural steel was fabricated locally before being transported to site and carefully lifted into position, beam by beam. At the same time, the massive tilt-panel walls were erected, transforming an empty concrete slab into a building with real presence and scale.

More than 3,500 tonnes of decomposed granite were carefully placed to create an extensive internal road network, providing reliable all-weather access throughout the property. At the same time, large-scale water storage tanks were installed, access routes established, and countless details coordinated to ensure the property could operate efficiently as it continued to grow.

Our next challenge was sourcing and installing the equipment needed to bring our expanded winemaking vision to life. This included wine tanks, a glycol cooling system, cold room, bottling line and labelling equipment - all essential components of a modern winery.

Before the steel framework could be erected, a series of large tilt-panel walls were poured on-site and carefully lifted into position by crane. It was an exacting process requiring meticulous planning and precision, with very little margin for error. With the walls in place, attention turned to the steel framework. The roofline was intentionally designed to reflect the contours of the surrounding granite hills, helping the building feel connected to the landscape rather than imposed upon it.

Throughout the project we have blended more than 100 tonnes of structural steel, 3,000m² of marble crazy paving, custom marble benchtops, recycled hardwood timber walls and ceilings, century-old railway beams and sleepers, 100-year-old recycled bricks and more than 6 kilometres of aluminium screening, each piece individually cut, fitted and installed by hand.

Over the past six years, they have transformed a once-neglected property into Meteora Vineyard, driven by a vision to create a destination that celebrates exceptional wine, hospitality and the unique character of the region. As we prepare to welcome our first guests, we are incredibly proud of what has been achieved and deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of the journey so far.