A passion for wine

The estate comprises 141 hectares of pristine virgin soil and is located in Jerilderie, on the banks of the Billabong Creek — the longest creek in Australia.The vineyard spans 112ha of the property, and 9ha is designated as a wildlife sanctuary around two environmental lakes. It is a natural playground for birds, kangaroos, wallabies, hares, sheep, wild fish and many other wildlife including endangered species.Co-owner and operator Frank Bonic said he fell in love with wine, which then became a passion and “became my whole life”.The desire to always want to do better took him on a never-ending journey of discoveries — the kind where you keep working to do better — and lead him to making specialised high quality wines unlike any others in the world.And he said keeping the virgin land chemical free is one of many important factors of Bonics’ processes.“People have forgotten that wine is a sacred drink, and for wine to be sacred and have the maximum benefits, it must be made in a special chemical free way. Living things should be added to a living system, not dysfunction,” Frank said.“Drinking our wine is a magical experience. It makes you feel great and wake up in the morning feeling great; you cannot get that anywhere else.“Wine can be a sacred elixir with herb superfood effects, or it can be an alcohol with destructive effects.“We don’t meddle with the creation of our wine. Sometimes it’s what we don’t do which is very important and adds to the high integrity of the finished wine.“We don’t add anything that could kill the life of our product; we monitor the whole process and keep our mind and body present while nurturing the wine throughout this dynamic process.“We have also contributed many breakthroughs for the wine industry worldwide, one being getting screw caps for wine bottles off the ground. We found that using corks had several flaws, some of which current science is yet to discover.”Bonics Estate has developed a special micro flora fermentation system for its wines, with up to 2000 different yeast strains.This encourages more diverse yeast derived micronutrients, which in turn enhances the flavour profile and wellbeing in the finished wine.“It is unique to Bonics Estate as it must be chemical free to achieve this properly,” Frank said.“Microbes are super sensitive, and they will shut down in a commercial chemical ferment. Today most wines are fermented with just one super strain of yeast.“Making pure fine wines in this special way, that is truly chemical free, gives further advantage of ageing with integrity and increasing in complexity.“So many of our customers have expressed their gratitude for such a heavenly experience.”Frank said Bonics Estate wines are not just enjoyable to drink, with that ageing with integrity quality making it a choice for investors too.“One of our wines released just below $50 per bottle is now valued at more than $820 per bottle in China,” he said.“I expect as the brand gets more well known it will go many times higher, when they realise what real quality they are getting.”It is by specialising in just a few wines that Bonics Estate can cater to a niche market and preserve its unique operation. But while not tampering with the grapes leads to better flavour, Frank said there is a cost when it comes to yield.“Commercial wines can yield about seven times more than we do, as we don’t pump, artificial fertilisers, hormones or other such products in our process.“We recently planted new vines and added further to our clonal selection.“We only specialise in the noble varieties to produce our Shiraz, Chardonnay and sparkling wines.“Our process helps us adjust to climate change, whether it’s global warming or what could be the start of global cooling, and the way we grow and nurture our vines makes them more resilient.”Bonics Estates’ wine grapes will ripen over summer and will be prime for harvesting in February.Frank said the grapevine is a very special plant.“When people stand in our vineyard, and hold the vines for about 30 seconds, they feel happy. It is an enlightening experience, as they are exposed to this real truths of life.“This can not be achieved with commercially grown vines that have been conically bombarded with chemicals and artificial fertilisers.“The aim is to bring these uplifting energies into the wine evoking, the wellbeing feelings when drinking a Bonics Estate wine.“Our customers tell us once they’ve tried our wine they can’t go back. And many that did not like wine have fallen in love with Bonics.“Our process allows our wine to age for more than 100 years. You can even leave it in the fridge on ullage for months and it will still be delicious. The natural high living energies protect it and it takes a long time with oxygen exposure to break it down.“Our sparkling wine is a break through as well. It is probably the only fine wine the world that you can drink warm or cold. You can leave it in the fridge for a week fully opened and the fine bubbles will continue in your glass.“It’s the millions of little things that make the big difference. There is no silver bullet but we were created to do great things.”Frank was introduced to the wine-making process at a young age at the Jerilderie vineyard owned by his father Jure.It lead him to gain a wine science degree through Charles Sturt University. He then worked as a consulting winemaker in Australia.Wanting to further exact his craft, Frank has also consulted as a fly-in winemaker in France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Chile and California.In Jerilderie he works closely with his brother John.And while they specialise in different areas of the process, they have one important thing in common.“We enjoy a wine, we love it. John and I have it lunch and dinner; we enjoy the fruits of our labour,” Frank said.“John is the gifted engineer, and I’m gifted in living systems and bringing that essence into the wine.”