The Cups Estate is situated between the waters of Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait. The Cellar Door & Restaurant offers spectacular views over the vineyard, olive grove and coastal dune region known as 'The Cups'.

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​​​The Cups Estate vineyard was established in 1999 by Joe & Carmen Fisicaro.

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Joe arrived from Sicily as a child, later achieving an MBA & Commerce Degree at Melbourne University. After University Joe pursued a career as a Finance Director until 1995 when he decided to pursue his passion and purchased a 30acre property on The Mornington Peninsula.

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At that time the property was being used to stable horses, however Joe could see bigger things for the property and the area and despite being advised otherwise, decided to plant the vines.

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The land is situated south of Rye on the famous sand belt that has attracted so many award winning golf courses. The property now overlooks the Home of Australian Golf- Moonah Links and neighbours one of Victoria's most popular attractions, Peninsula Hot Springs.

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The area is known as 'The Cups' after being dubbed The Cups & Saucers by one of the founding families, The McCrae's in the 1830's. It was given this name because of the topography, with the many sand dunes making the shapes of cups and saucers. In order to pay homeage to the land that produces the grapes, The Cups Estate name was embraced.

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It was decided  that varieties such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris , Chardonnay and Shiraz that had proven successful in the cool-climate area would be the most suitable varieties to plant.

After producing the first vintage in 2003 The Cups Estate has now produced many award winning wines that have received high acclaim.

 

The range of wines now include: Sparkling Cuvee, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Rose, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Sparkling Shiraz and Moscato. Some of the prestigous awards received include; Gold Medals and Trophies at; The Royal Melbourne Wine Show, The Royal Sydney Wine Show, the International Cool Climate Wine Show, Les Concours des Vins and The Victorian Wine Show.

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Like many boutique vineyards The Cups Estate is a family owned business. Following Joe's passing in 2010, his son Lee Fisicaro took over the reins on behalf of the family. Lee studied Wine Technology and Management at Monash University, however he credits the one-on-one tutorage of his father as his most influential education.

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Of course The Cups Estate would not be possible without a dedicated team. Fortunately The Cups has many long-term, dedicated employees who each bring with them many years of experience aswell as passion and knowledge in their chosen field. This shared passion for creating the best possible wine and food, aswell as creating memorable experiences for our guests makes The Cups Estate a special place to be.