Who we are
Hunter-Gatherer is the passion project of winemaker Brian Martin and his wife Ros, based on a small, elevated vineyard in the Macedon Ranges.
After leaving a career in accounting and spending over a decade making traditional method sparkling wine for wineries around Australia, Brian launched Hunter-Gatherer in 2015. The name speaks to his approach - hunting for characterful vineyard sites and gathering grapes to make honest, expressive wines rooted in place.
Together, Brian and Ros live and work on their 70-acre property, tending 12 acres of vines and farming regeneratively. The vineyard sits on deep volcanic soils at 550 metres above sea level, with a mix of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Merlot. Their old farmhouse doubles as a winery and cellar door, and their days are spent growing, making, learning and sharing.
The focus now is on building soil health, planting for biodiversity, and making wine that reflects the land and the care behind it.
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It all began in 2003, when Brian and a friend decided to try their hand at making wine in the front yard of a Melbourne rental. With an old basket press and a few styrofoam boxes of grapes, they made a batch of wine so bad they named it Sheer Arse Shiraz and poured most of it down the drain. But the experience sparked something.
Soon after, Brian enrolled in wine science at Charles Sturt University. He left his accounting job to work his first vintage at Yarra Burn, doing long shifts in the cellar and quickly falling in love with the physical, hands-on nature of the work.
He went on to work at Hanging Rock Winery in the Macedon Ranges, then spent 15 years at Kilchurn making sparkling wine under contract for winemakers across the country. During that time, he started buying small parcels of fruit to make wine for himself, slowly building the idea for his own label.
In 2015, Brian and Ros found a rundown vineyard for sale in the Macedon Ranges - 12 acres of established vines on a stunning north-facing slope, surrounded by bushland and deep, fertile soils. They made the leap and began the slow process of bringing it back to life.
By 2022, Brian left his sparkling winemaking role to focus full-time on Hunter-Gatherer. Since then, the pair have been farming with regenerative principles - planting cover crops, making their own compost teas and microbial biofertilisers, and designing the property to support biodiversity.
They’ve also begun planting a small food forest alongside the vineyard, using the same soil-first approach to grow nutrient-dense food for their own kitchen and, in time, for sharing at the cellar door.
What started as a backyard experiment has become a life’s work - one rooted in curiosity, care for the land, and a deep love of good wine.
Region
Less than an hour from Melbourne, the Macedon Ranges is home to over 40 small, family-run wineries making thoughtful, small-batch wines.
It’s the coolest wine region on mainland Australia - literally - but you’ll find a warm welcome at our cellar doors. More often than not, it’s the winemaker pouring the wine and sharing the story behind it.
Vineyards here sit between 300 and 800 metres above sea level, making it an ideal place for cool climate varietals like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and traditional method Sparkling. Head a little further north and you’ll find elegant cool climate Shiraz and Cabernet, along with aromatic whites like Riesling and Gewürztraminer across much of the region.
The landscape is just as varied as the wines - from ancient volcanic soils in the south and west, to granite boulders in the Cobaw Ranges and slate and gravel-rich country in the north-west.
Download a map of the Macedon Ranges wineries.
Learn more about Macedon Ranges wine here.
