BlackJack Vineyards is situated on the old granite soils of the Harcourt Valley, near Castlemaine, in the Bendigo Wine Region of Central Victoria, Australia-just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne.

BlackJack was the name given to an American sailor, who in the gold rush era of the 1850’s found his way to the alluvial Castlemaine gold fields.

Perhaps following a similar dream but in search of liquid gold, the McKenzie and Pollock families planted the first vines in 1988, and further plantings have extended the vineyard to 6 hectares, in mainly Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varieties. Blackjack released its first wine in 1994, and since then has established an enviable reputation for producing fine and generous red wine.

In 1996, and again in 2004, the Blackjack Shiraz won the Trophy for the Best Shiraz at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show, along with the Premier’s Trophy for the best Victorian Red Wine in 2004. In 2024 Blackjack won the trophy for the Best Victoria Shiraz at the 2024 Great Australian Shiraz Challenge

It is the philosophy at Blackjack to produce consistent high quality red wines that reflect the vineyard and the vintage variations-wines that reflect the “terroir”.