It seems quite prophetic that the word ‘wine,’ albeit misspelt, appears in Brand’s Laira winemaker Peter Weinberg’s surname but a career in winemaking was not always his first option....
After time spent as a freight train driver and trainee surveyor, Peter finally settled on winemaking and has been the winemaker and manager of Brand’s Laira since 1999.
The winery however has a history that extends to 1893 when a retired sea captain named Stentiford purchased a plot of land in Coonawarra. Naming it after his much-loved ship, Laira, Stentiford planted the land to Shiraz vines. Eric Brand, the first Patron of Coonawarra, became the custodian of the vineyard more than half a century later, continuing the tradition of creating exceptional quality wines.
The winery’s landholdings have now grown to cover almost 300 hectares and fruit for Stentiford’s Old Vines Shiraz is still sourced from the original vines planted by Captain Stentiford in 1893. With an impressive show awards history, Brand’s Laira remains a steady and powerful beat in South Australia’s heartland.