Six Generations in Every Bottle
There is a saying that great wine is measured not in vintages, but in generations.
I was fortunate to be born into a family where wine was simply part of everyday life. Long before I understood fermentation or terroir, I was running around my father's winery in the Riverland, kicking barrels, asking questions and getting under everyone's feet.
Life was wonderfully uncomplicated. My older sisters had already left for boarding school, so my days were spent riding bikes, helping Mum fix whatever needed repairing, hunting rabbits with the family dog, and occasionally finding mischief with the local kids.
My grandparents lived with us, and one of my strongest memories is watching my grandfather blend wine at the kitchen table. Beside him was a weathered chart that fascinated me as a child. Years later, I realised it was a lunar calendar. Looking back now, I suspect that was the first seed of biodynamic thinking quietly taking root in my mind.
Growing up in Moorook, between Loxton and Kingston on the Murray River, wine wasn't a career choice it was our family's language. As fifth-generation winemakers, every season added another chapter to a story already well over a century in the making.
Like many children of migrant families, my parents valued education deeply. Boarding school in Adelaide opened the world beyond our small town, followed by a year as an exchange student in Maryland, USA. Returning home, I studied Oenology at Roseworthy Agricultural College before heading overseas to learn from some of Europe's great wine regions.
Champagne changed everything. Working for Bauchet Pere et Fils (est 1920), I discovered not only the extraordinary precision required to make traditional method sparkling wine, but also a philosophy of patience and craftsmanship that has stayed with me ever since. Every bottle represented generations of accumulated knowledge. It was impossible not to be inspired. A second internship at Castello di Ama in Chianti reinforced another lesson. The world's most respected wines are inseparable from the places and families that produce them.
When I returned to Australia, I knew I wanted to build something that reflected those values. My father quietly supported that ambition, investing in traditional Champagne equipment that allowed me to begin my journey with sparkling wine while still working in the Riverland. It was a thoughtful gift of confidence from one generation to the next.
In 1987 I met Monique. She shared my belief that if we were going to build something meaningful, we needed to do it together. That same year we leased my father's winery, producing wines for Australia's growing export market while continuing to make méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines, many of which were bottled for ‘The Wine Society’. We married in 1988.
Then came the decision that would shape the rest of our lives, Tasmania. Long before Tasmania became one of Australia's most celebrated cool-climate wine regions, we believed its future was extraordinary. After an exhaustive search, we found our home at Granton: a north-facing hillside with free-draining soils, abundant sunshine, reliable water and virtually no frost risk.
Before planting a single vine, we tested every inch of the property for heavy metals and chemical residues. Organic farming was never an afterthought, it was a condition of buying the land. We wanted healthy soils that could sustain not only our generation, but those still to come.
Today, biodynamics sits naturally alongside that philosophy. It isn't about chasing trends; it's about creating living vineyards capable of expressing place with honesty and vitality. Thirty-six years later, we remain convinced that Tasmania was the right decision. The vineyard has matured, and so have we.
One of the great privileges of generational winemaking is that every generation inherits the lessons of those before it. Much like the finest family domaines, experience accumulates. Each generation refines rather than reinvents. Since 2018 our son Marco, and his wife Phoebe, play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of Lubiana wines. Watching the sixth generation step forward is one of the greatest rewards of our journey.
Our wines have evolved with the vineyard. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay remain at the heart of everything we do. At the pinnacle sits Sasso Pinot Noir, followed by our single-block expressions Ruscello, Il Giardino, and La Roccia, each revealing a different interpretation of our site. Estate Pinot Noir has been produced every year since 1996, reflecting the character of every vintage. While Primavera Pinot Noir continues to deliver remarkable generosity and value year after year. Chardonnay plantings have expanded to support both traditional-method sparkling wines and future single-site Chardonnay bottlings. Small parcels of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Malvasia remain largely reserved for our cellar door and restaurant partners, alongside tiny productions of cool-climate Syrah and our Merlot-Malbec blend, Chicane.
Every wine tells part of our family's story. Looking back, there were moments when the road seemed impossibly difficult. Building a vineyard from bare ground always asks more than you imagine. There were sacrifices, disappointments and years when perseverance mattered more than optimism. Would we choose the same path knowing everything we know today? Without hesitation. Because the greatest reward was never simply producing wine. It was creating something that could outlive Monique and I.
This limited Museum Collection captures that journey. Each bottle represents not only a particular vintage, but a chapter in six generations of family winemaking, from the lessons learnt around my grandfather's kitchen table to the biodynamic vineyards we are privileged to steward today. We hope that as you open each bottle, you taste not only the wine, but the generations behind it.
Cheers, Stefano (Steve) Lubiana