A Visit to the Swan Valley and Perth Hills
Guest Post by a Community Member Vince Conserva
Vince visited Western Australia from Melbourne in March 2023. Here is his story.
I was lucky enough to be in WA on business in the first week of March and had some spare time to explore the Swan Valley and Perth Hills. These are lesser known regions even though they are both within 30 mins of Perth CBD. You can even reach the Swan Valley by boat along the Swan River. I did some research and wanted to taste some alternative grape varieties.
Swan Valley Visit
Just off the 4-hour flight from Melbourne and we were in the Swan Valley. They were celebrating the wine harvest which ran for a couple of weeks. We were blessed with a lovely but warm 30C day. It seemed a very dry and desolate landscape. I noticed the vines were trellised very high compared to back home. These were table grapes and this is done to ensure good airflow.
First stop was Riverbank Estate. Established on the fertile banks of the Swan River in 1982, Riverbank Estate vineyard has established itself as one of the foundation wineries in the Swan Valley Region.
Purchased in 2017 by the Lembo Family, who are well known as successful owner/operators of the iconic Caversham House wedding venue, Riverbank Estate has grown to win a number of awards, including being included as a 5-star winery by the prestigious Halliday Wine Companion.
We were greeted at the cellar door by Colby the winemaker who had just spent the morning picking the Zinfandel. We got to taste a bunch of grapes and they were sweet, elegant and fragrant. He told us they grew over 15 varieties on the site. It turns out Colby is from Melbourne and has worked at Chalmers in Mildura where he learnt about alternative varieties. Then went to Domaine Chandon and also helped to establish some vines at Levantine Hill in The Yarra Valley.
Our first tasting was the Rebellious Rose. A standout favourite at the 2022 Swan Valley Wine Show, this tasty little number took out a gold medal and trophy for Best Rose. A blend of Malbec, Shiraz, Tempranillo and Grenache, it showed lifted aromatics of pomegranate and rose petal notes enhance a palate of wild cherry and rhubarb. A hint of residual sugar adds generosity to the mouthfeel, while keeping it a light and smooth rose.
Then we tasted the Chenin Blanc, Fiano, Petit Verdot and finally the Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel blend. This last wine was a densely coloured, fragrant wine with blackcurrant, bay leaf and cedary mid-palate. Structural Cabernet Franc is supported by aromatic and fleshy Zinfandel. We could have stayed for hours and enjoyed the scenery and it was obviously a very popular place for lunch.
Next stop was Olive Farm Wines with their innovative tasting station (shown below).
Over 40 wines were stored under argon gas and a 20ml sample was dispensed into your glass. You were accompanied by one of the cellar door staff (we had the charming Tess) who explained the features of each wine. It was a very social way to run a wine tasting. We started with the whites. Chenin Blanc, Arinto1 and then the Fume Chenin. This was just incredible!
This Fumé does not disappoint, if anything it leaves you wanting more! Hyper oxygenation, malolactic fermentation, delicate oak ageing for 9 months and lees stirring has created a wine that is full of rich texture and complexity. The harmony between these creamy oak characters, ripe tropical fruit and cleansing acidity is just delightful. Colour: Golden Hue; Nose: Dried Apricot, Raw Almond and hints of savoury characters. Palate: Initial sweetness followed by delicate acidity and lingering subtle tannins. Hints of vanilla and spice, apricot and stone fruits. ~ From Olive Farm tasting notes.
Then we started on the reds. First up the cleverly named GST Taxman. Grenache, Shiraz and Tempranillo. Then some alternatives like Touriga Nacionale, Alicante Bouschet and Mencia.
However our favourite was their first - ever release of Negroamaro which is a lighter bodied style packed full of flavours, suiting caramelised foods as they bring out the sweetness in the wine, pulled pork dishes, barbecued chicken or teriyaki makes for the best accompaniments. A fuller-bodied red wine found commonly in Puglia, the “heel” of Italy’s boot, made another home in Australia in more recent years.
Sadly we did not get to taste their fortified wines as we still had to drive 2 and half hours up the Coral Coast to Jurien Bay to join friends at their beach house.
What we missed…
At $149 per bottle, Stari is our flagship wine in our expansive range of fortifieds. My family’s ownership of Olive Farm dates back to 1933, when Ivan Yurisich – My Stari Dide` (Old Grandfather in Croatian, pronounced Dida) purchased the property after emigrating from Korcula, Croatia. Stari Dide’s humble beginnings started by making fortified wines, with the knowledge and wines being passed down through the 4 Generations of Yurisich Winemakers. This wine is a culmination of 4 Generations of fortified winemaking experience, decades of barrel ageing, patience and careful blending. It is an honour to blend such a wonderful part of my family’s history of which I hope you will enjoy. ~ From Olive Farm tasting notes.
Last stop was Jon Kosovich Wines were tasted and loved his 100-year anniversary Chenin Blanc. Interesting to note that the vine growing at the front door was Almeria which they claim was planted in 1922. More than 100 years ago.
The Almeria grape is a mild-white grape, grown in both the United States and Spain. It is unusual among cultivated grapevines in that it is pistillate, and requires a second grape cultivar to provide pollen, but has remained in cultivation for centuries despite this due to its quality as a table grape.
Then we went to Jurien Bay to check out the beaches and the Pinnacles. We also caught fresh crayfish for lunch.
Perth Hills
Then a few days later… we visited the Perth Hills region.
Just east of Perth, you drive up the hills and reach another dry and parched area. We did not see any grapes growing until we were over the other side of the hills. First and only stop was La Fattoria (translates to the Farm). Lucy (one of the owners) met us at the cellar door. They had just picked about 3 tonnes of Vermentino that morning and she was clearing the tables. They ask their wine club members and guests to help them pick grapes. They get rewarded with lunch and a couple of bottles of wine to take home. No labour shortage problems here.
We started with some Sparkling Vermentino and Sparkling Pignoletto. We just loved this! They claim they were the first to plant this variety and now there are four in Australia. Pignoletto DOC is an Italian appellation for white wines made in Emilia-Romagna from Grechetto di Todi. It was created in 2014. DNA profiling has shown that the Emilia Romagna grape variety traditionally known as Pignoletto is in fact Grechetto di Todi, aka Grechetto Gentile. This raised the threat of producers in other regions and countries labelling their wines made from Grechetto di Todi as Pignoletto. Therefore to maintain control of the brand producers in the region decided that Pignoletto would now be applied to a geographic zone. Therefore, it would not be easily usable elsewhere. This is similar to the situation with Prosecco (Glera).
Then we tried the Brachetto. It was light-bodied and highly aromatic wine with distinctive notes of strawberries.
Guaranteed to please. This is a red Italian wine grape variety grown predominantly in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. At one time the grape was thought to be related to the French wine grape Braquet, but recent thought among ampelographers is that the two are distinct varieties. Then we tried the Barbera, Nebbiolo and Nero D’Avola. These were all very nice. The Barbera is aged in Hungarian oak barrels and this gives it a slightly smoky taste.
Then we ended with the Sagrantino. The grape has one of the highest tannin levels of any variety in the world and creates wines that are inky purple with an almost-black centre. The bouquet is one of dark, brooding red fruits with
hints of plum, cinnamon and earth. This was elegant, silky and might make an appearance at our May 26 night!
She told us next year they will produce their first Montepulciano. She said we should try Fairbrossen winery who had a smashing Saperavi and Durif we must try but we had no time. I was running late for a business meeting while eating some of her Nonna’s meatballs and arancini. Next time I will spend a day there!
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Thanks to Vince for this story. From time to time we will be sharing more stories like this from Community members. Contact Darby if you would like to contribute something of interest to our members.
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Note by Darby: Olive Farm is one of the pioneers of this exciting variety. You can learn more about Arinto here.