Shashi Singh moved to Australia from India when she was 21 years old, to marry her husband of over 30 years Devendra. Her family in India to this day are involved with agriculture (growing sugar cane and wheat), but before she left India she completed a Master’s degree in Chemistry. After running a succesful Indian restaurant in Frankston for many years, and having visited many producers on the nearby Mornington Peninsula, Shashi and Devendra decided to purchase a vineyard in the region and carve out their own story. While studying viticulture and oenology with Charles Sturt University, Shashi’s real education came from working with Phillip Jones, the man behind cult pinot noir producer Bass Phillip. Since 2009 the Avani story has been all about syrah, and though small in production has turned a lot of heads.