When we talk about Western Australia’s wine legacy, your mind will most likely jump to Margaret River, or Great Southern thanks to its growing popularity. Still, there is a spot often overlooked for its trendier neighbours – the Swan Valley.
It’s surprising that a region which has been growing grapes continuously since 1829 isn’t at the forefront of wine lists and retail shelves in the same way we herald wines from our oldest growing region, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. We tend to disregard Western Australia’s first and original wine region. Even when the most prolific catalogue of Western Australian wines was wiped out last year – fire destroyed more than 43,200 bottles, some decades-old, at Swan Valley’s Houghton Wines – it barely rated a mention in the press, aside from one piece in a local paper.
Thankfully, there are sommeliers like Emma Farrelly, alongside a small collection of Western Australian winemakers, who are leading the charge and putting the Swan Valley back in wine drinker’s minds and adding its most exciting grape, chenin blanc, into our vernacular. Farrelly, the director of wine for Perth’s State Buildings, is a massive advocate for chenin blanc and its adaptability with food. “The wines sit in that riesling camp, the styles that act as a refreshing shower for your mouth and work beautifully with WA treats such as crayfish, marron and abalone,” says Farrelly.
The producers making wines from Swan Valley grapes are also trying to protect the ancient vineyards from urban development. The Swan Valley is only 30-minutes’ drive from Perth’s CBD and is on the precipice of being taken over by urban sprawl. In response, some winemakers are deliberately creating new wines to support growers in the region and encourage the continued production of grapes from the historic vines. Josephine Perry from Margaret River’s Dormilona created a second label called Yokel to support the region; while winemaking duo Garth Cliff and Kristen McGann from Vino Volta actively champion Swan Valley chenin, with four different styles available, alongside grenache and fortified wines.
Farrelly will continue the fight from her side of Australia and hopes programs like last year’s inaugural Chenin Blanc Challenge, which showcased the ageing potential and viability of chenin blanc from across Western Australia, will inspire more sommeliers to add these wines to their lists. “We can’t let all of this be lost; we’re fighting for the old vines and the history of not only the Valley but its part in the larger story of Australian wine.”
A taste of the Swan Valley
NV Sittella Sparkling Chenin, $24
You might see this wine and dismiss it as a gimmick, but Sittella takes their sparkling production seriously. The wine spends a minimum of 15 months on lees (the same amount of time as Champagne) to give a complexity that is perfect as an aperitif.
2020 Dormilona Yokel Peaches, $28
A skinsy, sans-sulphur blend of chenin blanc and verdelho from fruit sourced at both Pinelli and Lamont’s family vineyards in middle Swan. One dollar from every bottle of Yokel wine sold is donated to Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise and the Perth Zoo breeding program.
2014 Swan Valley Wines Ivy Maureen Mourvèdre, $30
Using fruit from an historic 100-year old vineyard that was once part of a farm established by Spanish Benedictine monks, this wine is the ultimate lunchtime tipple. Mouth-filling, dark-fruit flavours meet soft and supple tannins.
Vino Volta Intimations of Immortality Liqueur Verdelho, $80
Celebrating the region’s history with fortified wines, this liqueur verdelho is crafted with blended base wines that date back more than 60 years. Suitable parcels of fruit are chosen, left to ripen and dry out on the vines, then fermented on skins and fortified with a neutral spirit before the long ageing process begins.
Swan Valley Gin Company Duende Blanco Lime, $65
An interpretation of grappa, with a Swan Valley twist. Starting with grenache skins, soaked in rainwater, the fermented juice is blended with makrut limes to craft a lemon curd and floral tasting spirit.
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