About Us

Steels Gate Wines is a family-owned boutique winery, cellar door and restaurant nestled in the hillside of Dixons Creek, in the heart of the Yarra Valley — just 60 kilometres from Melbourne. We are a place where food, wine, and genuine hospitality come together in one of Victoria's most beautiful cool-climate wine regions.

Steels Gate began in 2009 when partners Brad Atkins and Matthew Davis made a decision that would define the next chapter of their lives: to leave the corporate world behind and build something meaningful with their hands, their palates, and their hearts.

They took the reins of an established vineyard in Steels Creek — a property with vines quietly growing since the late 1970s. What they found was a piece of land already rich with character, and a responsibility to honour what had come before while putting their own mark on what would come next. What had been neglected and overgrown was restored — patiently, season by season — back to producing exceptional fruit.

In 2018, Brad and Matthew expanded their vision, acquiring a second established estate at 1974 Melba Highway, Dixons Creek. This property, with its own vines dating to the early 1980s, became home to the Steels Gate cellar door and restaurant — a place where guests could experience everything the estate has to offer under one roof.

Two properties. Two expressions of the same philosophy. One family, one commitment.

Home Block — Steels Creek

Our original estate sits in Steels Creek. The vines here have been growing since the late 1970s, producing fruit of remarkable depth and complexity. The cool-climate conditions of this elevated site — 230 metres above sea level on gentle, undulating slopes of grey loam — shape wines with natural acidity, fine structure, and a genuine sense of place. Planted equally to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the Home Block is also the home of our winery.

Melba Block — Dixons Creek

Our second estate, at 1974 Melba Highway, Dixons Creek, is home to both our cellar door and restaurant. Established in the early 1980s, these vines have long adapted to the rhythms of the Yarra Valley. This is where our guests arrive, where wine is poured, and where the full Steels Gate experience comes to life. The Melba Block expanded our range to include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and small plantings of Cabernet Franc and Merlot used in our single-barrel releases.

We practise minimal-intervention winemaking — allowing the character of our estate fruit, grown dry across both properties, to speak without interference. Both vineyards are unirrigated, managed predominantly with organic fungicide sprays and no herbicides or pesticides. We use organic fertilisers and green manure crops to naturally replenish the soil.

Our wines are not manufactured for trend or convenience. They are grown, tended, and made with patience and purpose — elegant, precise, and authentic to the land from which they come.

At our Dixons Creek cellar door, food is not an afterthought — it is equal to the wine in every sense.

The Steels Gate restaurant is led by co-owner Matthew Davis, whose approach to cooking draws on classical French technique, the bold layered flavours of Asian cuisine, and the extraordinary seasonal produce of regional Victoria. Matthew's philosophy has always been grounded in something simpler: cook with integrity, honour your ingredients, and make your guests feel genuinely welcome.

Our kitchen garden supplies the table with fresh herbs and produce, and our menus change to reflect what the land and season offer. This is the kind of food that belongs alongside great wine. It is not a restaurant that happens to be on a winery. It is a kitchen built as the natural counterpart to the cellar.

Steels Gate is a family business in the truest sense. Brad and Matthew are present — in the cellar, in the dining room, in the decisions that shape every season. They are supported by a small, dedicated team of 10 people who share their commitment to quality, care, and genuine hospitality. Sebastian, who grew up with the winery woven into his life, is now an active part of the team — a second generation taking root in this place.

When you visit us, you are not walking into a packaged experience. You are stepping into something real — a business built by people who chose this life because they believed in it, and who continue to believe in it every day.

For those who want to stay closer to what we do, our  Wine Club  offers curated selections, exclusive member tastings, and the opportunity to follow the work of the estate across the seasons.

Or come and visit us in person. Our cellar door and restaurant are open throughout the week, and we would love to welcome you.

Steels Gate Wines, 1974 Melba Highway, Dixons Creek, Yarra Valley. VIC

Where terroir meets technique.