About us
Cardiness lies in the heart of Padthaway with gentle slopes, red-brown clays over limestone and sustaining, abundant high-quality groundwater and the neutral free-draining soils of this very old Land.
John & Julie Summers farm grass-fed cattle, sustainable pastures and grow wine grapes on the lower slopes, authentic to the qualities of this place.
Padthaway; has ideal natural assets as a moderate cool climate region capable of producing a vast range of exceptional food with the best of Mediterranean maritime climate, has four distinct and reliable seasons, a sustainable supply of high quality irrigation water, clear skies and air straight from the Southern Ocean. Its productive soils, cool evenings and warm summer ripening days along with its hardworking people of endeavour and acumen make this place a richly nutritious food bowl of the future.
Our vision
Knowing that the best food, wine and produce can only come from a wide variety of healthy plants growing on biome-rich biologically nutritious soil; Julie is guiding the regeneration of Cardiness land. Our goal is a balanced and healthy biodiverse living state using techniques and ways passed down from our parents with natural products where-ever feasible. It takes years and mostly the ingredients comprise natural biology most often not from a "drum".
Choice beef production
Julie formed her beef cattle herd in the Bylong Valley on the eastern fall of the Great Divide when she was sixteen. They aren’t ‘oil-paintings’ as she says, but their genesis is a composite cross of red and black Angus with a little Santa and Gelbvieh she selected to produce fertile and good milking dams turning off well muscled and finished high growth progeny at 10 to 12 months of age. The core of this additives-free and grass-fed herd is now at Cardiness where sheltered grazing and a diverse pasture mix produce tender & flavoursome beef.
Wine & the Cardiness Vineyard
Redevelopment of a 45 Ha vineyard planted in the early 80s is retaining the best of what’s here and introducing varieties suited to this terroir, the soil structure and land form. Dry whites, Shiraz and Pinots reflect the unique moderate-cool climate character Padthaway brings to its wine.
Monitoring technology allowing our vines the water they need, undervine treatments preserving water and enhancing the growing biota, a diverse grass and medic mid-row sward for beneficial entomology and all necessary natural nutrition are key features of our wine grape production system and the wines we make.
Future vision
Today’s sustainable biological farming is moving our Nation’s agriculture to global standards of efficiency, value and quality. And all within the context of this ancient Land's 60,000 year old heritage and its Asian setting as prized and sought after as “respectful, clean and green”. Next comes carbon neutrality.
This is what is making Australia’s farming future and Life so exciting.