The Carriages Vineyard

David and Lyndall Johnson began the development of The Carriages in 1996, and now have cabernet sauvignon (2.5ha), merlot (2ha), chardonnay (1ha) and semillon (0.5ha). The name and the innovative packaging stems from four old railway carriages which the Johnsons have painstakingly rehabilitated, and now live in. Each bottle is identified with a cardboard rail ticket that is strikingly similar to the tickets of bygone years. The ticket shows the brand name, the vintage, the variety, the number of standard drinks, the alcohol and the bottle number (which is in fact the ticket number, or vice versa). The ticket is fixed to the label with fine twine, so it can be removed either as a memento or used for further orders. -JAMES HALLIDAY