Here's what’s open in McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Coast today. A great way to support local.
Overview
Started in 2013, Bondar is the vision of husband and wife team Andre Bondar and Selina Kelly. Their home is the renowned Rayner Vineyard in McLaren Vale, where old vine Grenache and Shiraz are already in play, and newer plantings of close-planted Counoise, more bush vine Grenache and Mataro, Carignan, Cinsault, Touriga Nacional and Sagrantino have recently gone in the ground. The vineyard is run using organic management where possible and is certified under the Sustainable Winegrowing Association of Australia.
Bondar's vision is to make wines that are bright, structured, mid-weight, yet concentrated in flavour, and with a savoury element. In the winemaking process Andre uses minimal chemical inputs, preferring to use techniques such as whole bunches, extended time on skins, and picking the fruit earlier, to achieve the balanced, bright wines for which they strive.
Bondar won James Halliday's Best New Winery Award (2017) and has now reached (the highest) 5 red-star rating. The wines have been awarded numerous 90+ scores, Andre Bondar was named one of the Top 50 Young Guns of Wine in 2018 and 2020, and their Rayner Vineyard was named one of the top 50 vineyards of Australia in 2021 (YGOW).
Bondar share a cellar door on McMurtrie Road with two other boutique producers, Lino Ramble and Sherrah Wines.
