Resident natural wine writer and meme lord Dave Cosford aka @lo_fi_wine has updated his top 10 WA producers list. Original Article from perthisok.com
Our Great state of Western Australia has been deep in this lofi revolution for quite some time now and a whole swathe of new producers have appeared whilst some of the old guard have only improved with time – much like a fine wine (I’ll see myself out). If you’ve been wanting to take a sip of the Kool Aid then this list, which is arranged in no particular order, contains some of the best and most approachable producers in the State.
He views what he does at L.A.S. Vino as 1 third Luck, 1 third Art and 1 third Science.
With no formal cellar door experience it’s probably easier to find Nic’s offerings around town in the various bars and bottle shops.
Si Vintners
Sarah and Iwo, Rosa Glen, Margaret River
I have openly stated that Si Vintners makes my favourite Chardonnays in WA. I would also go so far as to say they are one of the best natural wine producers in the state in general.
Splitting their time between vintages in Western Australia and Spain they bring a unique and experienced approach to their wines.
In their subregion of Rosa Glen they practice organic viticulture and have started to spread their wings into some biodynamics. They aim to truly express the land upon which their fruit grows with minimal intervention in both the vineyard and the winery.
Si produces incredibly fine, almost Burgundian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir expressions and have some pretty sick Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon offerings.
With a very chill cellar door experience which looks out onto the Halcyon vineyard, this is definitely one to visit when you’re d’outh.
Check out their wines online or in a few fantastic places around town.
Brave New Wine are single handedly levering the long rod out of the tight arses of the wine world everywhere.
Love them.
Hit them up online or find them in wine stores across Australia.
No formal cellar door situation but his wines can be purchased online and at numerous locations throughout Perth and beyond.
Swan Valley Wines
Paul and Bree, Swan Valley
Perth’s own wine region, the Swan Valley, is slowly regaining some prestige and has a groundswell of small lofi producers that are slowly gaining some traction. Swan Valley Wines spearheaded the minimal intervention style in the Swan from years back and have made it possible for so many others to get a foot in the door.
Their winery was purchased defunct by Paul’s father in the mid-1980s after the fall of the Valley’s last hey-day. As the radical son of a more traditional wine maker, it was a slow wean from heavy additions and interventions but after a few years Paul and Bree have hit their stride with organically managed vineyards, careful winery work and minimal additions.
If you want to try something from a young Perth family with some serious moves who have agitated against the long overwrought, mechanised and chemical addled region that is the Swan Valley then look no further. Paul and Bree have the hookup and have been doing it for years now.
They operate a small cellar door that offers tastings by appointment and are stocked in some of the best venues and bottle shops around the city.
Since 2018 LS Merchants have developed into more of a juggernaut of lofi wines from Margaret River. They have recently acquired a cellar door and some vineyards just outside of Cowaramup which they plan to start managing this growing season. The newly renovated cellar door has been up and running for a little while now and is doing fantastically.
Up until this year LS has worked with farmers to source high quality fruit from trusted vineyards. Some of the fruit they source is organic, some is minimal inputs and some is more conventional. With the acquisition of their new vineyards they hope to move toward sustainable organic practices.
In the winery they focus on minimal intervention winemaking and eschew the term ‘natural’ due to its lack of clarity in an often far too serious (and sometimes fundamentalist) industry. They work with high quality fruit, use minimal intervention and create delicious wines across a broad range of styles.
Dyl describes his winemaking as hand made, sustainable, artisanal and minimal intervention.
Having just sold out of all of their wines they will be re-opening the cellar door later this year for their new release!
Over the last 3 years Express has seen some pretty significant development in terms of size and quality. Ryan is now leasing and managing 6 vineyards with organic practices and has sites between Mount Barker, the Porongorups and Denmark.
Humble as ever Ryan says that he is still sounding out his vineyards and trying to see how the fruit is best represented and feels as though he is getting a little closer the longer he manages them.
Express focuses on making skin contact whites, especially Chenin Blanc, Semillon and Riesling, whilst also making approachable light red styles from Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedre and more.
With no cellar door currently it is best to purchase wine online or find it at your favourite local.
The dudes at Blind Corner have it pretty sorted out. The certified organic vineyards on their beautiful plot of land in Quindalup have a co-located winery, biodynamic vegetable patch, apiary and half pipe.
They make a range of high quality, clean and surprisingly affordable minimal intervention wines and have become one of the more popular producers in some of Perth’s favourite natural wine hangouts.
They have a fantastic cellar door where you can have a tasting, meet the gang and even buy some posters from the amazing Gianluca Cannizzo of @mypostersucks.
If you want to get to know Ben a little better I can’t recommend his podcast ‘Real Wine People’ enough.
Chouette is a modern Swan Valley Wine label. Its primary focus is to enlighten the Perth population that has historically often overlooked its local region. Tom is part of an emerging group of young winemakers that are trying to prevent vines from being pulled up for horse-land and make minimal intervention wine in the Swan.
Tom’s fruit is sourced from around the Swan Valley and he has a focus on keeping vines in the ground and working with farmers to move toward sustainability. His long-term goal is to secure a large patch of old-vine Grenache to go with some Chenin Blanc he recently acquired with the hopes of farming them organically into the future.
In terms of winemaking Tom uses mostly Grenache and Chenin Blanc, picks early, uses wild ferments and uses no additions except for up to 50ppm of Sulphur depending on the wine. He makes bright, vinous wine with tension, that is fun but has a serious side too.
The Cellar Door is operated via occasional event days to celebrate new release wines & special events, with live music & pop-up food trucks. Enquiries re: appointments for Private tastings/tours are welcomed.
We are now into our second vintage and have managed to make some wines from our Grenache, Semillon and newly rehabilitated Chenin Blanc and have even managed to find some cheeky Great Southern riesling as a nod to our head winemaker Sam Jorgensen’s label Old Mate Wine.
No cellar door but you can find our wines in a bunch of awesome establishments across the city – 2020 Reds aged in oak puncheon release soon and 2021 wines will be out toward the end of the year! Yeehaw.