But it has grown into a family business - one a third generation of Vines intends to carry on.

Brothers Tristan and Oliver Vine have inherited a love of winemaking, like their father before them.

Steve Vine could not only remember being something of a "labourer's assistant" in the early days of Mandurang Valley Wines - there were pictures of him, hard at work, on the wall.

When the time came to help his parents expand their vineyard, Steve and wife Jacqui bought a block of land less than five minutes down the road.

Tristan, the couple's eldest son, was about a year old when they moved to the property.

Now in his 20s, people might encounter Tristan at the cellar door.

He saw himself continuing his family's work.

"I don't know what else you'd do, really," Tristan said.

Oliver made his first wine at the age of 17.

He seemed primed to make more, having completed a certificate in winemaking and viticulture during high school.

The 19-year-old was pursuing studies in agribusiness.

As the third generation of winemakers, the brothers had been immersed in the business all their lives.

A board meeting was largely just six people sitting around a dining table sharing a meal and a drink, Steve said.

The Vines not only learned from others in the industry, but from one another.

It was a bit different for Wes and Pam when they bought the property, back in 1973.

Winemaking wasn't even the first thing they started doing with the land after shifting from Melbourne.

The Vines initially ran sheep and cattle.

Their hobby became a business in 1993, when the quantity of wine they were producing became significant enough to sell.

The winery's first vintage was 1980.

Wes had studied science and had previously tried his hand at brewing ginger beer, but was largely driven by a keen interest.

The changes COVID-19 had made to life and business crept into Friday morning's interview, as they tend to do.

Wes mused on the steady market Mandurang Valley Wines had built in China in the past 13 years, and when circumstances might allow them to tap back into it.

The pandemic had affected the business in a number of ways.

Steve was pragmatic: they'd just have to roll with it and modify their expectations.

Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.