Our Story

Rollo’s vision for Crittenden is grounded in family, sustainability and innovation. Inspired by the legacy of his parents, Garry and Margaret, he has built an ecologically responsible wine business that looks firmly to the future.

After winemaking studies at Charles Sturt University and vintages across California, Oregon, Italy and the Hunter Valley, Rollo returned home in 2003, later stepping into the family business at just 30. Since then, he has combined hands-on vineyard knowledge with a drive for progress, earning accolades such as Young Gun Winemaker of the Year (2010), the BRIT-FIVS International Sustainable Winegrowing Award (2020) and the Dr Allan Antcliff Vineyard of the Year Award (2023). Beyond the winery, Rollo has served as President of Mornington Peninsula Wine and on the board of Grape and Wine Australia. At home on the Peninsula, he balances life by the sea with his wife Linda and their two boys, Oscar and Digby.

As Co-Owner and Director of Marketing, Zoe steers the strategic marketing and brand management of Crittenden, overseeing these elements in both the wine business and Restaurant.

Since returning to the family estate in 2004, Zoe has shaped the brand’s growth, bringing expertise in marketing, customer experience and events. Her focus has been to share the family’s story while building a trusted and welcoming destination for wine lovers near and far. A proud mum to Maia and Finn, Zoe enjoys life on the Peninsula alongside whippet Winnie and Italian greyhound Marco.

Linda brings an eye for design, a passion for sustainability and a love of hospitality to the family business. She has played a pivotal role in shaping the interiors and guest experience at the new Crittenden Restaurant, creating a space that feels both elegant and inviting.

After a career as a certified property valuer, Linda joined the family business more than a decade ago, managing the property’s luxury five-star accommodation. Under her care,
Lakeside Villas have become a nationally recognised Accredited Sustainable Tourism Business, winning multiple awards throughout her time operating them. With sons Oscar & Digby settled at high school she’s delighted to be further involved in the direction and operations of the Crittenden Restaurant.

After many years of running successful plant nurseries Garry’s love of plants and background in horticulture led him to winemaking. He planted his first vines at Dromana in 1982, doubling the total area under vine on the Mornington Peninsula at the time (now in excess of 2000 acres). In those early days Garry and his wife Margaret relied on friends and family to help them plant, pick and bottle the wine.

Over the years, Garry expanded the vineyard, introduced new grape varieties and built a thriving cellar door and wine business. Widely regarded as a pioneer of the Peninsula wine industry, he was among the first to trial innovative pruning and canopy management
techniques that have since become commonplace. He always believed that careful vineyard management and the production of quality fruit were the foundations of great wine, a philosophy now deeply embedded in the family’s operations. Garry was instrumental in introducing Italian grape varieties to Australia, co-authoring Italian Grape Varieties in Australia with Alex McKay. His pioneering efforts with Italian grapevarietals and his role in establishing the Mornington Peninsula as a premier wine region saw him inducted into the Melbourne Food and Wine Industry’s Legends Hall of Fame in 2012.

Margaret Crittenden, beloved wife of Garry and mother to Zoe and Rollo, passed away in November 2020. Her legacy lives on through the family business she helped build and her lasting impact on the wine and tourism industries of the Mornington Peninsula.

In the 1990s, Marg made her mark by running the restaurant , making Crittenden one of the first wineries in the region to offer food alongside its cellar door.

Although illness kept Marg from being actively involved in the business during her final years, she remained a proud supporter as Zoe and Rollo carried forward the vision she and Garry began in the 1980s. Their shared dream continues to flourish as a tribute to her strength, warmth, and pioneering spirit.

Learn more about Margaret's life and take a look back at the early days of winemaking on the Mornington Peninsula