Grapes are a reflection of where they grow. The climate, soil and landscape all have a direct impact on the final flavours that will be present in the fruit. Winemaking may have originated in Europe, however the Swan Valley hit the geographical jackpot for grape growing.

Our growers have three distinct soil types to play with. Along the banks of the Swan River are rich alluvial soils, underpinned by clay. Along the base of the scarp is coffee rock – less fertile, gravelly soil that drains easily. Finally, there is the sandy soil of the Perth coastal plain. Growers are able to take advantage of the Valley’s different soil types to naturally express the true flavours of the fruit they’re growing.

Swan Valley vines are guaranteed of receiving plenty of sunshine, moderated by the regular Indian Ocean sea breeze. This combination ensures grapes always reach optimum ripeness, while dry summers mean little or no disease as they ripen.

Great wine starts in the vineyard. The Swan Valley is ideally positioned to produce world-class, warm climate wines. All this just 25 minutes from Perth CBD.

Winter in the Swan Valley
Vines must be pruned during this time, ready for optimum spring growth. Most of the Swan Valley is hand-pruned by skilled vignerons or by skilled vineyard workers.

Spring… How Green is the Valley
The vineyard is in budburst and the Swan Valley is a picture of verdant spring growth. This is a time when vignerons are constantly tending their vines, training the young canes in the way that they should go. Spring is also the time when the white varieties of the previous Swan Valley harvest is released at cellar doors – it is like the French Beaujolais time of year for young wines.

Summer in the Valley – Vintage Begins!
In Summer, all the hard work of the year is realised. Harvesting the carefully grown fruit is usually done by hand. The exact timing of each session of fruit picking is carefully calculated, according to the temperatures of early summer and the baume (or sugar level) in the fruit. For premium conditions, grape picking begins at dawn and ends early on hot summer days in the Swan Valley.

Autumn – Maturing the Wines and Late Picking
The young wine from the summer harvest is by now maturing in the winery cellars while many Swan Valley winemakers are still hard at work in producing the late harvested fruit for the Swan Valley’s famous fortified wines. The end of another long hard vintage, and a time to celebrate.