“It’s certainly possible to shortcut the wine-making process,” he explains. “With the help of chemical additives, it’s possible to produce a marketable wine within as little as six months – or even less.” But Peter believes that the time-honoured, natural process still delivers a superior product, and the rave reviews his signature wines are receiving in the United States and Australia are all the proof he needs.

When the Old Ways are the Best Way

Peter is always happy to evaluate the newer advances in winemaking. For example, although carbonation to produce sparkling wine is a newer process than the old method of adding yeast to get sparkle, Manor Estate bubblies are all carbonated. “When you use yeast to get bubbles, they rise to the top of the bottle, froth over, and there’s not much left in the wine itself. Manor Estate puts the bubble in the wine rather than in the bottle and putting wine through this process twice ensures frothy enjoyment to the very last drop.”

But when it comes to ageing wine, Peter doesn’t believe in the practices now common in modern winemaking. “There’s no substitute for leaving wine to age in French oak barrels for years,” he says. “It does mean that our production process is slowed and production volumes are smaller, but the result is far superior to those exhibited by mass-produced, hastily fermented wines. Manor Estate chooses nature’s way, and the reviews its wines have achieved in unbiased blind tasting are a testament to the superiority of traditional methods.”

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Wine Celebrities and Top Authorities Approve

Ironically, Manor Estate Wines, a product of the McLaren Vale wine district, achieved fame abroad before becoming recognised in Australia. “It’s a boutique winery,” says Peter, “and Manor Estate soon realised that competing against big brands in Australia would be a losing battle at the outset. Now that the brand has achieved recognition and won awards overseas, people at home are ready to embrace it. The brand literally took Manhattan first, and now people at home want to be part of the buzz.”

Wine Australia became one of Manor Estate’s top allies in the US, making its network of mentors available to the winery, but even before that, Peter Cap and his daughter, Sharleen, had won over top venues in New York. Rave reviews from “Wine Enthusiast,” an internationally recognised authority, and support from Gary Vaynerchuk, whose family wine business first triggered the marketing guru’s journey to fame, added fuel to the fire. Manor Estate Wines are now well-known in New York and are expanding their reach across the USA – and Australia is ready to sit up and take note.

“People love hearing about the New York success story and they want to experience the wine that made it a reality,” says Peter. “Wine Club membership keeps growing, and Manor Estate cellar door events are better-supported than ever before. It took overseas success to gain the local support that the brand never expected to see.”

Quality the Secret to Success

When Manor Estate Wines first began its overseas marketing drive, its ambassadors knew that just getting prospective supporters to taste the wine would be enough. Achieving this simple goal proved harder than they expected: “At first, we faced rejection after rejection,” says Sharleen, “but the wine speaks for itself, and from there on, it’s plain sailing.”

With Australians finally embracing hometown-brand-made-good, Manor Estates seems set to go from strength to strength. The only question that still remains is whether Australian Wine Club members will get to consume all that naturally aged wine before the US market drinks it all up.

However, the winery seems set to grow its local following after its success in the United States captured the imagination of locals. Peter Cap, whose name is now known to many Australians following his “Wine Secrets” documentary series, says that overseas recognition has won his business the home-country support he never expected to see.

“Aussie Underdog” Comes Out on Top in the Big Apple

With wine production in full swing and capacity growing, Peter Cap and his daughter, Sharleen decided to take on what may be the biggest challenge any winery could face: New York. “It was agreed that if Manor Estate could win over New York, our brand could succeed anywhere in the world,” explains Peter. “It’s a superior product – and marketing something one truly believes in and is invested in, is something that can be done with sincerity and passion that shines out far better than any normal sales pitch.”

The self-funded family expedition undertaken by Peter and Sharleen was to bring unprecedented success, even earning accolades from Wine Australia, whose support the Estate won while they were already active in the US. Top wine-bars and restaurants were the first to support the family-owned business and its wines, and top distributors that catered for a discerning clientele were soon to follow.

Then, the 2020 international health crisis hit, and it seemed that momentum would be lost in the wake of business closures, both temporary and permanent, and travel restrictions that limited Peter and Sharleen’s ability to form in-person relationships with prospective clients.

Secret Wine Garden Draws Visitors While US Success Inspires Club Membership

Even before the US adventure began, Manor Estate had already built a reputation for hospitality in McLaren Vale. Apart from welcoming guests to its hospitality business which featured the McLaren Vale location as well as a stately home with gracious gardens, Manor Estate had hosted wine-tasting and “wine experience” events. These “Secret Wine Garden,” and “Cellar Door” functions became more popular than ever before following hard lockdown. And the story of Peter, Sharleen, and their Zero to Hero adventure in New York soon captured the hearts and minds of those who heard it.

Along with an ever-growing stream of visitors through the imposing gates of Manor Estate, the winery’s wine club now saw exponential growth in membership. “Hearing the story, tasting the wine that made it happen – that turned out to be all that was necessary to start growing Manor Estate Wines’ local reputation,” says Peter Cap.

“At Manor Estate, the wine does the talking. Once people have tasted it, a great many of them want to sign up to our wine club for regular, free delivery of our best wines coupled with discounted prices and a slew of benefits for those able to visit McLaren vale for a wine experience hosted by Manor Estate.”

Overcoming Local Bias an Unexpected Bonus

In a wine-producing region, Manor Estate, a relative newcomer on the scene, struggled to gain the recognition its products deserved. But, after winning international awards and receiving votes of confidence from top names on the US wine scene, hometown success was to follow. With the Wine Secrets documentary drawing viewership, and an interesting story to tell, the Australian public began to take an interest – and as Peter says: “The wine does the talking after that.”