Great wine drives: Swan Valley,
Western Australia
WINES FOR THE BOOT
2010 Pinelli Family Reserve Verdelho,
A$18
This is delicious: the Swan Valley at its
uncomplicated best, inviting us to drink
immediately and enjoy. Look for lively
honeysuckle and floral aromas, bright,
fresh, ripe tropical flavours that tang and
zing before a crisp, zesty finish.
2010 Jarrah Ridge Classic White, A$13
Here is a blend of chenin blanc,
chardonnay, viognier and verdelho made
to highlight its fresh, vibrant fruit and
light, bright frame. There’s also good
viscosity and crisp, lively acidity to finish.
It won gold medal at the Swan Valley Wine
Show. Good value.
2006 Lilac Hill Verdelho, A$20
Only in the Swan Valley could you pick up
a magnificent aged white with nine
trophies (including Best Wine at this year’s
local show) for $20. There’s powerful
toastiness on the nose and creamy
viscosity on the palate: it’s still quite tight
and lean and in remarkably good
condition, showing great depth of flavour
and length.
2006 John Kosovich Bottle Aged Chenin
Blanc, A$26
One of the Swan’s best wineries has long
Heading west to one of Australia’s best kept secrets is a
wonderful way to expand your appreciation of this region’s
marvellous wines. Just a well-arced wine spit away from Perth,
the historic Swan Valley is buzzing with a growing plethora of
cellar doors, restaurants and cafes. This leisurely three-day
itinerary puts you in the heart of it all.
Depending on your flight path, you may soar over some of the
fertile vineyards of the Swan Valley just before you touch down in
the West. The region is close to Perth and pretty much surrounded
by its ever-expanding suburb; just a 25-minute drive from the
CBD. The Swan Valley shares with the vineyard areas surrounding
Adelaide the difficulties of suburban encroachment, and as with its
South Australian counterparts, is resisting effectively.
The Swan is Australia’s most compact wine region and can be
circumnavigated in about an hour by driving down West Swan
Road, back up Great Northern Highway, and along Reid Highway to
your starting point. While it can be hot in summer, the influence of
the nearby Indian Ocean keeps temperatures in check for the rest
of the year. Spring is an ideal time to visit with the wildflowers in
full bloom. It won’t be the physical beauty of the Swan Valley that
is an abiding memory of your visit: in essence, it’s a flat alluvial
plain at the eastern edge of the Darling Scarp. The Swan River,
which winds its way circuitously through the landscape; the
significant areas of natural bushland; and the vineyards all offer
scenes of tranquil beauty. It has that lived-in feel of people going
about their daily work in much the same way as the locals have
done since it was first settled.
The vineyards of the Swan are as old as European settlement in the
West. Just a year after the Swan River Colony was established by
Captain James Stirling in 1829, botanist Thomas Waters planted
vines at Olive Farm on the banks of the river not far from Guildford.
Waters supervised the first crush in 1834 and built the state’s first
wine cellar shortly afterwards. Olive Farm was bought by the
Yurisich family in 1933 and was considered, until recently,
Australia’s oldest winery in continuous use. The Guildford site on
the banks of the Swan is now a function centre, and fourth-
generation Anthony Yurisich makes Olive Farm wines from the
family’s new winery and 16-hectare vineyard at Millendon in the
Swan Valley. Their visually stunning cellar door is leading the region
into a bold new era.
The two largest wineries in the Swan Valley were established in the
mid-19th century. In 1840, WA’s first Surveyor-General, John
Septimus Roe, was given a grant of 500 hectares and planted vines
at Sandalford. It remained, at least partly, owned by the Roe family
for more than 150 years, concentrating on the production of table
grapes and currants until after World War II. Although the vineyard
was planted in the late 1830s, Houghton’s first comm-ercial vintage
did not take place until after Dr John Ferguson bought the property
shown how well the region’s finest white in 1859. It flourished under his son Charles (CW), who extended
grapes (chenin and verdelho) can age. the area under vine, and it remained in the family until 1950.
There are the mellow toasty perfumes
There was major expansion of the Swan Valley following the arrival
you’d expect of an aged chenin yet the
of soldier settlers and displaced Yugoslav migrants after World War
palate is fresh, vibrant, youthful and
I. Many of the latter came from areas along the Dalmatian coast,
intense, finishing dry and long. (The cellar
and took advantage of their experience of market gardening and
door is currently under renovation.)
viticulture. Most of the holdings they established were small family
2008 Heafod Glen Reserve Chardonnay, concerns and their vines produced fortified and table wines for
A$55 personal or local consumption. These families remain at its core –
Heafod Glen is a relatively new producer as the heart beat of the Swan Valley.
that has established a reputation for its
Changes in the Swan Valley’s production have mirrored that of the
estate-grown wines, especially its viognier
wider Australian industry. Before the 1970s, 80 per cent of its
and this gold medal-winning chardonnay.
produce was fortified and 20 per cent table wine. That situation has
There are some nutty cedary notes, good
been reversed. While this was happening, the Swan Valley wine
intensity on the mid-palate, sensuous
industry, which had been built on the bulk and flagon markets,
viscosity and a pleasant dry finish.
found it difficult to complete with the prices offered by the large
2009 Bella Ridge Bella Rosé, A$24 chains for similar wines from the irrigated areas of the east. James
Alon and Jodi Arbel don’t have the Halliday noted, “The emergence of growing numbers of serious
exposure that a cellar door offers but wine drinkers helped many makers rethink their reliance on the
make attractive and innovative wines that ready cash flow formerly afforded by flagons.”
find a place in the top restaurant lists in
For the move away from fortified wines, much of the vineyard land
Melbourne and Perth. This was onion-skin
in the Swan needed to be replanted with varieties more suited to
colour, is restrained and savoury with a
table wine production. This, together with modern technological
hint of honeysuckle, subtle, delicate and
developments – the more widespread use of stainless steel, better
juicy, with excellent mouthfeel and an
refrigeration, the use of more expensive oak and increasingly high-
ultra-dry finish.
tech machinery – have slowly lead to substantial improvements in
2010 Moondah Brook Cabernet Rosé, A$15 quality in the past 20 years.
This is a style that Houghton has perfected
Following the opening up of vineyard areas in the south-west in the
over the past 20 years, adapting it to suit
1970s and 1980s, Margaret River (especially) showed that it was
the area’s warmth. Here’s another good
capable of producing wines that ranked with Australia’s finest. This,
reason to call in to the cellar door. This is
and the improvements to infrastructure that fuelled the rise of
dark crimson in colour, has gentle
Margaret River as a tourist destination in the 1990s, meant that the
perfumes, intense ripe strawberry and
focus of wine lovers and visitors was on the south-west.
redcurrant flavours, finishing fresh, clean
and sweet.
Apart from those hunting bargains and lured by its proximity to
 
Perth, not many paid much attention to the improved wines of the
2008 Faber Vineyard Reserve Shiraz, A$55
Swan Valley. Halliday had commented in 1982, “Few [wineries]
John Griffiths has single-handedly
have anything better than basic tasting facilities and one can drive
transformed the quality of Swan Valley
all day up and down the valley on a Saturday without being able to
shiraz through the example he has set
buy so much as a packet of chips or an ice-cream [or petrol].”
with his family wines and through his work
Nothing much changed until the mid-1990s.
as a consultant and force for change.
Lower yields have been a key, so this
The state’s largest winery, Houghton, attracted larger crowds than
delicious shiraz has the richness, power,
most thanks to its beautifully landscaped grounds, still the ideal
weight and concentration you’d expect;
spot for a picnic, and the dramatic improvement in the quality of its
brooding aromatics, dense blueberry,
modestly priced wines – thanks, in particular, to improved
chocolate and dark plum flavours. It could
temperature control. A new generation of wineries opened in the
do with some further time in the bottle but
second half of the 1990s – most notably Faber Vineyard, Heafod
is an excellent example of the region’s
Glen, Lilac Hill Estate, Sittella and Upper Reach – and these sought
finest red variety.
to be distinctive because of the quality of their wines. Some of
them tried to entice customers by opening cafes and by operating
2008 Upper Reach Reserve Shiraz, A$27
stylish cellar doors.
From one of the valley’s classiest
producers, this is approachable earlier
There have been substantial developments in the past decade, most
than the Faber. There are ripe, rich and
of them driven by the valley’s proximity to Perth: much of it aimed
concentrated brambly, dark plum
at catering for family groups – a chocolate factory, ice-cream cafe,
characters with a savoury edge and
a maze, mini-golf, a reptile park, and cuddly animal farm – and the
restrained oak, succulent and silky smooth,
mass market – including cafes and breweries. The following
finishing with balance and poise. Won gold
itinerary shows another side of the Swan Valley. Thirty years on,
at the Perth Royal Show.
one suspects that James Halliday would approve of the changes.

2010 Sittella Muscat Alexandria, A$16

Day 1 
The muscat family of grapes does well in
There are two major decisions you’ll need to consider before
the Swan Valley. This silver-medal winner
planning a jaunt to the Swan Valley: what days of the week you
from the local show is light, fresh and
should choose for your visit and where to stay. The weekends have
sweet; clean and juicy with pure apricot,
an advantage in that everything is open, although that should be
peach and rose petal flavours, with a
weighed with the fact that the crowds come out on the most
delightfully crisp finish.
popular days of the week. This itinerary has been planned so that
you can follow it over the weekends or during the week – but not
Lamont’s Navera, A$30
on Mondays. 
This delicious fortified wines takes as its
name from a synonym of muscat (navara)
There have been great improvements in tourism infrastructure in
and is a blend of brown muscat, pedro
the Swan Valley in the past decade but its proximity to Perth has
ximénez and frontignac, added annually to
meant that there has been little investment in classy
a solera that has an average age of six
accommodation in the region. Many will prefer to be based in Perth
years. It’s less dense than some fortifieds
at hotels such asParmelia Hilton (14 Mill St, Perth, 08 9215
(a bonus for some), the Lamont’s Navera
2000),InterContinental Perth Burswood (Burswood
is opulent and generously flavoured –
Entertainment Complex, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood, 08 9362
malt, honey and butterscotch – is lush,
8888) or the boutique The Richardson Hotel & Spa (32
velvety, fresh and pure. It is simply
Richardson St, Perth, (08) 9217 8888).
delicious.

If you fancy a brush with celebrity, stay at the Stocks Country

Talijancich Julian James Pedro Ximénez
Retreat (26 Boulonnais Dr, Brigadoon, 08 9296 1945), which has
Blend No 2, A$95
been operating as a B&B for eight years. Prior to that, it was the
James Talijancich, a deft hand with
Tudor-style home of Shadows guitarist Hank B Marvin. The three
fortifieds, has sourced this PX from the
suites have four-poster king-sized beds and double spas and there’s
Roe family vineyard, which is in excess of
an attractive garden setting and a thermally heated swimming pool
100 years old: the solera dates back to
and tennis court for you to enjoy. To stay amid the vines,
1965. It’s deeply aromatic, opulent and
try Upper Reach Spa Cottage (77 Memorial Ave, Baskerville, 08
mellow with raisiny, molasses, licorice
9296 0078). This comfortable two-bedroom 1907 weatherboard
flavours, splendid velvety texture that is
cottage at the entrance to Upper Reach has polished jarrah
lush and generous, finishing spine-
floorboards, a spa bath, and all the facilities for self-catering and
tinglingly long and satisfying.
the tranquillity to enjoy your Swan Valley stay.

Olive Farm Wines Liqueur Shiraz, A$95

There are some very good reasons to begin the itinerary
The fortified bracket may well be the
at Taylor’s Art and Coffee House (510 Great Northern Hwy,
highlight of your visit to the Swan’s most
Middle Swan, 08 9250 8838). Mike Taylor and his sister, chef
stunning cellar door, and this is my
Caroline Taylor, make great coffee – and you’ll probably need to
favourite: ripe, unctuous, sweet flavours
return during your stay. The café opens every day at 7.30am for
of fruitcake and Christmas pudding,
breakfast (it is closed Monday and Tuesday), and during the day
chocolate and prunes; silky smooth, lush
serves coffee and cakes and lunch – delicious, casual, comfortable
and deep. Won gold at the local show. 
food. It’s their mother Jude Taylor’s studio and gallery, and there’s
always plenty to see: starting with her bright lino-cut prints,
fabrics, wallpaper and greeting cards. After a second coffee, it’s off
to Mann Winery (105 Memorial Ave, Baskerville, 08 9296 4348) for
some bubbly and a dose of local history or local colour. With his father, Houghton’s Jack Mann, Dorham Mann
was one of six who were recently named as the initial icons of the Swan Valley. Dorham has made a sizeable
contribution to the development of the wine industry in Western Australia and the Swan Valley for more than
40 years. His retirement project is tending the family vines and handcrafting bubbly in the family style with
help from his daughter, Anthea. Here’s an opportunity to taste some refreshing sparkling wines made from
cabernet sauvignon and cygne blanc. The latter, a new white variety naturally thrown from cabernet sauvignon,
was discovered and propagated by the Manns. On the banks of the Swan there’s a small, purpose-built
sparkling winemaking facility: the cellar door is on the upper section, at road level. The warmth of the welcome
will be one of the abiding memories of your visit.

Winning the trophy for Best Exhibitor at the 2010 Swan Valley Show entitles Upper Reach (77 Memorial Ave,
Baskerville, 08 9296 0078) to bragging rights. It’s taken Derek and Laura Pearse a little less than 15 years to
establish themselves as one of the Swan Valley’s finest on their eight-hectare property adjacent to the upper
reaches of the Swan River. Their best wines are the shiraz and verdelho although the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
and the 2009 Reserve Chardonnay are surprise packets. Winemaker Derek Pearse pushes the boundaries,
seeking to find new varieties that suit the Swan and is doing well with tempranillo and petit verdot. The Upper
Reach cellar door is one of the valley’s most enticing with stylish jarrah and offering all wines in Riedel
stemware.

After the tasting, it’s a five-metre stroll over to Broads at Upper Reach run by Annalis and Anthony Broad. Both
are talented chefs and the food is consistently fresh, seasonal, uncomplicated and delicious. There’s good
coffee, too. The setting is picture-postcard perfect as the cafe looks out over the vineyard and the river.

Broads is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, in which case lunch is at your next port of call, Sittella (100
Barrett St, Herne Hill, 08 9296 2600). Here you can choose from the set menu or the more extensive a la carte
selection and relax on the deck with views over a picturesque section of the valley. Recently established (1998)
by Simon and Maaike Berns, Sittella has another vineyard in Margaret River and also sources fruit from
Frankland River and Manjimup. The classy cellar door has been one to set the tone for the region. Of particular
note for visitors are the Berns Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the verdelho.

After lunch, there’s just one appointment to keep. John Griffiths’ Faber Vineyard (233 Haddrill Rd, Baskerville,
08 9296 0619) is open on Sundays only from 11am to 4pm but John will be happy to host you if you ring for
an appointment. He describes how they operate: “We sit down with every customer, pour wines, chat about
Faber and our wines and anything else, use Riedel glassware, and even make a tea or coffee for those who
would like one. There are different ways to operate a cellar door and we choose to provide a very high level of
service and virtually invite wine lovers to enter the world of Faber. We describe our cellar door as a studio
where wine lovers can relax, there is no hurry and they can appreciate our wines in fitting surroundings.” Faber
wines are among the valley’s best. Most impressive are the Reserve Shiraz (which needs time), the Riche
(deliciously approachable with the current 2009 coming from “the vintage of the century”), the Petit Verdot
(which Griffiths is rightly championing) and the potent Swan verdelho. 

If you have the energy, whizz out to master craftsman Antonio Battistessa’s Studio (12 Neuman Rd, Herne
Hill, 08 9296 4121). Battistessa is an artist who uses forged iron as his medium. 

You’ll probably need a quiet night. If you are staying in the valley, you might try the state’s longest-running
roadside hamburger joint: Alfred’s Kitchen (cnr Meadow and James Streets, Guildford, 08 9377 1378). The
wood fires are alight every night to show that Alfred’s is open for business: specialties are pea soup and a
huge range of sumptuous burgers.

Day 2 
After breakfast, head for Yahava Koffee Works (4752 West Swan Rd, Swan Valley, (08) 9250 8599), which
has the other great coffee in the valley. This is the Margaret River-based coffee roaster’s outlet set up to
service Perth and the Swan. You can buy coffee beans or some coffee paraphernalia. In my experience, most
wine lovers are coffee fanatics, too: so this is the place to start the day.

Then it’s just down the road to Heafod Glen (8691 West Swan Rd, Henley Brook, 08 9296 3444), which has a
purpose-built cellar door with lots of natural light and, in an attractive garden setting, the large Chesters
Restaurant, which is also run by the Head family. Heafod Glen (established 1999) specialises in wines from its
four-hectare estate vineyard, and winemaker Liam Clarke has shown that he is a dab hand especially with
viognier, verdelho and chardonnay.

Then it’s off to see a well-established family winery that’s undergoing a facelift both metaphorically and
practically: Pinelli (30 Bennett St, Caversham, 08 9279 6818). You’ll notice the work-in-progress on the
rammed-earth cafe that will transform the experience of visiting. The less tangible changes have been the lift in
quality of the wines which is well illustrated by their show record in recent years. Best of all, their prices remain
modest. After working for 20 years in the vineyards of Waldeck Wines (you must remember their classic bubbly
Skip & Go Naked), Domenic Pinelli established his family vineyard nearby in 1980. He still works in the
vineyards while the glory is stolen by his sons, Robert and Daniel, both of whom are qualified winemakers. Look
for the Breanna Rosé, the verdelho, the aged tawny and the shiraz.

After visiting Pinelli, it’s a short trek to Sandalford (3210 West Swan Rd, Caversham, 08 9374 9374) for a
tasting and lunch. Owned by the Prendiville family, Sandalford is making better wines from its vineyards in
Margaret River and the Swan than at any other time in its 170-year history. Its importance to tourism can
scarcely be understated – with contributions from cellar door, the restaurant, and major concerts by the likes of
Michael Bublé, Sting and Robin Gibb. It’s a magnificent cellar door building with abundant natural light, stylish
use of natural woods, and a fabulous array of stemware and gift ideas. All the Sandalford wines are on tasting.
Because of the huge visitor numbers, Sandalford uses the XL5 tasting glasses. If you’d prefer to taste with
larger stemware, ask if it would be possible to use Riedel glasses. 

Executive chef Phil Thomas’s food is the most impressive of the Swan Valley’s winery restaurants. His lunch is
full of surprises: he offers complex, carefully structured dishes that focus on the central ingredient yet both
challenge and complement the Sandalford wines.

If you fancy checking out some of the local Aboriginal art, there’s no better place than the Maalinup
Aboriginal Gallery (10070 West Swan Rd, Henley Brook, 08 9296 0711). This gallery, gift shop and cultural
centre is located in the former West Swan Primary School (established in 1896) and features paintings and
artefacts such as boomerangs, clap sticks and didgeridoos.

To finish the day on a high note, it’s around to the West’s first cellar and winery (1830), Olive Farm
Wines (920 Great Northern Highway, Millendon, 08 9296 4539), in its new incarnation as the most splendidly
focused cellar door in the region. The fourth generation of Yurisich to be involved with Olive Farm has thrown
up an enthusiastic winemaker, Anthony, and a clever architect, Michael, who designed the winery and cellar
door. There’s a dramatic sense of space and natural light, clever use of Karratha-stone feature walls, polished-
concrete floor and a jarrah top to the tasting bench. This is a lovely place to taste, enjoy the sophisticated
Riedel stemware, and chat about the extensive range of Olive Farm Wines.

Day 3 
First stop is the family winery, Lamont’s (85 Bisdee Rd, Millendon, 08 9296 4485), which has been the valley’s
most important destination for food and wine for most of the past 20 years. The cellar door, cafe and al fresco
areas are open from Friday to Monday (10am to 5pm) as Fiona Lamont continues the tradition of providing
fresh seasonal produce with a compact menu of small platters. Winemaker Digby Leddin works to ensure that
Lamont’s stays in the upper bracket of Swan Valley producers. Like many of their fellow vignerons, Lamont’s
sources wines from outside the region: an impressive riesling from Frankland River; a White Monster Semillon
Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River; and a delicious Black Monster from Donnybrook
malbec. My favourites include the verdelho, the shiraz and the fortifieds.

Talijancich, which is just down the road (26 Hyem Rd, Herne Hill, 08 9296 4289), is unquestionably the Swan
Valley’s premier producer of fortifieds – with five gold and one silver out of six entries into this year’s local
show. Over the past few years, James Talijancich has extended his range of fortifieds and made wines of
sublime quality. A large cottage is being transformed into a smart new cellar door with polished-concrete floors,
jarrah bar and plenty of natural light. At present, Talijancich uses Riedel glassware for table wines and brandy
balloons for the fortifieds and XL5 on the busy weekends and for large groups.

The visit to Houghton (Dale Rd, Middle Swan, 08 9274 9540) is important because of the winery’s role in the
region’s history; the most picturesque and large lawns and gardens in the Swan that attract a legion of
picnickers most days; and the magnificent new cellar door and cafe. The stemware used is first class and
service is knowledgeable and professional. Houghton is the state’s best winery, making outstanding wines at all
price points, sourcing fruit from all parts of the state. As the itinerary suggests the region’s finest restaurant for
this evening, we’re recommending a light lunch in the very good cafe at Houghton.

On the way to Jane Brook Estate Wines (229 Toodyay Rd, Middle Swan, 08 9274 1432) continue on up
Toodyay Road as it climbs into the hills. The view from here gives you the most panoramic view of the Swan
Valley. My secretary, Claire Codrington, says Jane Brook is the best place to go in the valley on the weekend “if
you want to have fun” and, certainly, it has long been popular for its platter lunches. Jane Brook is the
Atkinson family winery and has been in their hands since 1972. They have vineyards in the Swan and Margaret
River and source some whites from the Perth Hills. They make three bubblies by the traditional method. Of the
Swan Valley wines, my favourites are the Atkinson Family Reserve Shiraz and the fortifieds.

The Swan’s best art gallery is Gomboc Gallery Sculpture Park (50 James Rd, Middle Swan, 08 9274 3996)
and a visit is de rigueur. There’s a special focus on sculpture and always plenty to see including the current
exhibition, the regularly revised stock display and the sculpture park. 

The itinerary is wrapped up with a visit to the region’s finest restaurant, Kelli and Kiren Mainwaring’s Dear
Friends (100 Benara Rd, Caversham, 08 9279 2815 – rated number four in the state by the current Australian
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide). Try the dégustation menu: seven innovative tastes to challenge, thrill
and delight. There’s an outstanding wine list particularly strong on the Swan Valley. 

TEXT PETER FORRESTAL PHOTOGRAPHY HOUGHTON

This article is from the December/January 2011 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine.