ENTROPY WINES
Entropy Wines is a small-production wine project founded by Ryan Ponsford in 2019, based in the rolling green hills of Baw Baw Shire in West Gippsland, Victoria. Working with dry-grown vineyards planted on the region's distinctive red volcanic soils, Ponsford produces highly individual wines centred on purity, site expression and traditional, minimal-intervention winemaking.
Ponsford's route into wine was highly unconventional. Before becoming a winemaker, he worked as a photographic artist in Melbourne, specialising in wet-plate photography—one of photography's oldest processes. His artistic work explored ideas of time and place, concepts that would later become equally important to his approach to wine.
A defining moment came in 2016, when Ponsford met celebrated Gippsland winemaker William Downie. He subsequently began working alongside Downie in the vineyard and cellar, developing an understanding of farming and low-intervention winemaking. In 2018, Downie gave him fruit to experiment with, ultimately leading to the first Entropy release in 2019.
From the 2021 vintage, Entropy's core wines have come from two vineyards farmed by Ponsford in Baw Baw Shire, including sites around Warragul and Willow Grove. One was a neglected vineyard that he began rehabilitating, approaching vineyard restoration as a long-term process rather than simply sourcing fruit from established growers.
Today, Ponsford describes both vineyards as dry-grown and situated on West Gippsland's red volcanic soils. Farming avoids systemic herbicides and pesticides, with considerable emphasis placed on soil health and biodiversity. The objective is straightforward: healthy vineyards capable of producing wines that clearly communicate their particular site and growing season.
Entropy is frequently grouped within Australia's natural-wine movement, but Ponsford's own philosophy is more traditional than the label might suggest. He works with old barrels, indigenous fermentations and simple cellar techniques, deliberately avoiding winemaking trends in favour of methods that allow vineyard character to remain visible.
This philosophy has resulted in an unusually diverse collection of wines. Entropy has worked with Pinot Noir, Syrah, Savagnin, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon, demonstrating the possibilities of Gippsland beyond the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for which the broader region is best known.
The Savagnin is one of the most distinctive wines in the collection. Rather than treating the Jura variety as a novelty, Entropy uses it to explore the interaction between variety and Gippsland's volcanic soils. Alongside Savagnin, the Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend provides another serious white expression, while recent releases have expanded to include Riesling and Pinot Gris.
Pinot Noir and Syrah form an important part of the red collection. The style tends toward perfume, freshness and detail rather than excessive extraction or ripeness. This restrained approach is particularly well suited to West Gippsland's cool conditions and aligns with Ponsford's broader objective of producing wines that taste unmistakably of where they were grown.
Entropy's Warragul Cabernet Sauvignon further demonstrates the potential of these vineyards. The 2024 release incorporates fruit from mature Cabernet Sauvignon vines including original 1982 plantings, together with a small proportion of old-vine Cabernet Franc. Indigenous fermentation, a month on skins and restrained French oak maturation produce a cool-climate interpretation focused on structure and vineyard character rather than sheer power.
Ponsford's work gained significant national recognition when he was named 2022 Young Gun of Wine, with the award highlighting both his organic-focused farming and minimal-intervention approach. The recognition was particularly notable given how recently Entropy had been established and reinforced the growing reputation of both the producer and the emerging wines of Baw Baw Shire.
For drinkers interested in producers such as William Downie and Patrick Sullivan, Entropy represents another fascinating expression of contemporary Gippsland wine. Yet the project increasingly has an identity entirely of its own: old and rehabilitated vineyards, volcanic soils, organic-focused farming and traditional cellar work combine to produce wines of precision, energy and individuality.
Shop Entropy Wines online at Wine More Cellars Australia. Discover Gippsland Pinot Noir, Syrah, Savagnin and limited-production Victorian wines with Australia-wide shipping and free delivery on eligible orders over $199.
