Wines Worthy of the Drive

✍🏽 By Tori Wilson

In the depths of Australia’s South West, the vast and rugged Great Southern region is producing some of the country’s most distinctive and elegant cool climate wines, ripe for tasting.

Spanning over 1.7 million hectares, within the Great Southern you’ll find Australia’s largest wine region, firmly placed in the heart of fertile, ancient land. This expansive and relatively untouched area stretches 100 kilometres north to south where it meets the Southern Ocean, and 150 kilometres west to east where it’s bordered by the ancient Porongurup Range – a mountain range of solid granite, erupting 670 metres from the earth and surrounded by a sea of old-growth karri trees.

The sheer size, geographical isolation, and dramatic contrasts in landscape sweeping the region are defining factors for this world-class producer of wine. With the climate ranging between Mediterranean, maritime and continental; the Great Southern wine region comprises five sub-regions, each with their own distinctive terroir – Frankland River, Mount Barker, Porongurup, Albany (Kinjarling), and Denmark (Koorabup).

Part of what makes the Great Southern so special is this diversity across its sub-regions. While all are tied together with the theme of cool climate wines and excellent Riesling, each produce their own nuanced flavour profiles and stand-out varietals ripe for sampling.

Not to mention, the character of each cellar door is worth making the trip for. In the Great Southern, humility thrives and the hand behind the wine creation will often be the one that serves you.

In Frankland River, where the climate is continental, there’s a distinctive combination of power and elegance projected by its wines. Frankland Estate is one of the leading wineries of the sub-region and for good reason, having won numerous accolades including being the longest holder of the Melbourne Wine Show’s prestigious Trevor Mast Award for Best Shiraz.

Leading the charge of Frankland River is the middle-weighted Shiraz, says Hunter Smith of Frankland Estate. “This inland location allows us a really lovely, long season of maturity, so we get this depth of flavour that is really unique in the Australian landscape for wine. It bodes well for late ripening varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.”

Having been certified organic since 2009, 2022 was the first year the vineyard operated biodynamically.

“We’re big believers in how unique the vineyard site is and the uniqueness of the soil and believe biodynamic can express that in a real, clear way. It’s about bringing life into soil,” says Hunter.

Set in a beautiful A-frame shed and with a wall of barrels featured inside, Frankland Estate is a reflection of the authentic atmosphere you’ll find at Great Southern cellar doors.

“The Great Southern, Frankland River in particular, is one of these untouched, great secrets of the wine world,” says Hunter. “It is remote, there’s a bit of a drive involved, but to get out into the region, stay, light a fire in your accommodation and sit back and enjoy the purity of the region… it is a fantastic place to grow grapes and to visit.”

Discover more about this impressive cellar door and the Frankland River sub-region on a behind the scenes tour. We also recommend adding Ferngrove Estate, Alkoomi Wines and Lange Estate (by appointment only) to your cellar door tour. Stay a little longer in the area at Frankland River Retreat, Ferngrove Chalets or Alkoomi Chalets.

Further south east in Mount Barker, structured examples of Riesling and complex Shiraz also shine. It was here, in 1859, the first recorded attempts at viticulture in the Great Southern region were made.

Based in the heart of town, Plantagenet Wines is one of the oldest wineries of the region, founded in 1969. Managing director Tom Wisdom, says when compared with Frankland River, the lower latitude and lower temperature experienced in Mount Barker generates its own unique style of Cabernet, which is equally as desirable, simply different.

“We’re cooler, so we end up with these beautiful, fine-tannin, herbaceous or leafy, age-worthy Cabernets,” says Tom. “The interesting thing from a wine connoisseur point of view is discovering some of the nuances of these varieties.”

Top tip: Taste some of Plantagenet Wines’ premium Wyjup Collection and museum wines when booking its heritage Winemaker’s Journey with chief winemaker Mike Garland.

Another stand-out Mount Barker wine producer is the exceptional Forest Hill Estate. While its cellar door is based in Denmark, with views stretching out to Mount Halliwell, Forest Hill Estate grow the majority of its fruit in Mount Barker, having planted the region’s first vineyards there in 1965.

“We get citrus and lovely spice but also great weight and fruit character to out Rieslings, whilst maintaining minerality to the wine,” says head winemaker Guy Lyons. “It means the wines can be very long-lived but also have that complexity.”

Pinot Noir is another varietal on the cards for Forest Hill. Gaining momentum across the region, the winery will release a Pinot Noir in the next 12 months, using fruits from another vineyard, and planted its own Pinot vines in 2023.

A highly rated winery, Forest Hill won the coveted Best Cabernet Sauvignon at the 2023 Halliday Cabernet Challenge, for its 2022 Block 5 release, and took out Best in Region for the second year in a row. It was also given a 5 Star Winery rating by the James Halliday Wine Companion, with its Vineyard Riesling 2022 awarded 96 points.

On your cellar door journey through Mount Barker, be sure to add West Cape Howe Wines, Gilbert Family Wines and Galafrey Wines to your list.

Nestled on the sunny, northern slopes of the ancient Porongurup Range to the east of Mount Barker, you’ll find a cluster of truly beautiful boutique cellar doors serving complex and delicate wines with fresh vibrancy and tight acidity.

While Porongurup is renowned for producing pristine and pure Rieslings, Pinot Noir also thrives here and is increasingly gaining popularity and drawing attention to the region.

Castle Rock Estate produces three variations of world-class Pinot Noir; its Estate, Diletti, and A&W releases, which are all worthy of attention. Taste them side-by-side at its intimate cellar door, where you’ll experience the most inspiring views across sweeping vineyards out to the Stirling Range.

Each release varies in style due to fruit selection and careful winemaking, says winemaker Sam Palmer, with the Diletti release all about optimum texture due to 100 per cent whole bunch fermentation. Meanwhile, the A&W is made using the estate’s oldest Pinot, producing depth and complexity.

Located at the western foot of the ranges, Duke’s Vineyard is another of the Porongurup’s crown jewels and a critically acclaimed winery experience. The winery is included as a Top Winery 100 in Huon Hooke’s Real Review and has been listed as one of James Halliday Top 100 wineries and a Red 5 Star winery since 2013.

Now owned by former Cape Mentelle winemaker Ben Cane and his partner Sarah Date, the vineyard is farmed with organic and biodynamic principles and continues to produce a wide range of superb wines, including some deliciously savoury and peppery examples of Shiraz and soft yet powerful cool climate expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon. Wines worth adding to your list besides the Magpie Hill Rieslings and reds include the ’22 ‘K2’ Riesling, the ’21 Whole Bunch Shiraz, and the ’21 First Cab. Also look out for the Invitational Range which sources small lots of premium fruit from other vineyards around the South West.

Travelling south to Albany, where the maritime influence of the Southern Ocean is strong, a range of varieties add nuanced flavours to the palate.

Murray Gomm of Oranje Tractor says in terms of looking at what varieties do well here, each of the wineries are coming up something slightly different. “Wignalls are excelling with Pinot and have won a couple of awards with their 2021 Pinot and over the last 30 years or so have blitzed it internationally with Pinot,” says Murray.

“Monty’s Leap is really excelling in Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay as their stand-out varieties. They’re right on the river and close to the ocean and producing a full-fruit style of Semillon Sauvignon blanc.

“Bunns is growing (fruit) biodynamically and producing preservative-free reds. They have a cult following with earthy, broody reds.

“Riesling has smashed it for us.”

Oranje Tractor pride themselves on growing fruit organically and regeneratively and have been net zero (offsetting the equivalent of carbon produced) since 2021, with its 20-acre property absorbing six times the amount of CO2 its vineyard emits.

“It’s about growing in partnership with nature,” says Murray. “With Riesling, it’s really about letting the juice and the wine express itself… letting the variety express the place and the seasons.”

Oranje Tractor hosts a suite of experiences at its quaint cellar door, surrounded by stunning fruit trees and flourishing vegetable gardens. Book in for its High Riesling tasting to experience a series of aged Rieslings paired with sustainable, locally-sourced Albany seafood.

Located in the tree covered hillsides along the Denmark River and Wilson Inlet, at the edge of the Southern Ocean, Denmark reaps the benefits of pure, clean air coupled with the coastal breeze of the Mediterranean climate.

One of the most frequented areas of the Great Southern for picturesque wineries, in Denmark you’ll find some of the region’s most elegant Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and sparkling thanks to its cool, consistent climate, heavy winter rains, and summer aeration from the moderate coastal breeze.

Singlefile Wines is renowned as one of the area’s hotspots, with panoramic vistas and a polished cellar door experience. Perched atop a hill overlooking a glimmering lake, this frequented spot consistently produces exceptional, award-winning Chardonnay.

“The defining factor for our Denmark vineyard is the gradual ripening period whereby the grapes develop complex flavours while also maintaining high natural acidity,” says Singlefile co-founder and managing director Patrick Corbett.

“Our wines such as The Vivienne Chardonnay may have more minerality than those wines produced in warmer climates. Denmark Chardonnays display flavours in the citrus and grapefruit spectrum rather than the riper nectarine, peach and melon characters of warmer climate sites.”

Quality soil composition is another of the key contributing factors to Denmark’s unique terroir, but it’s up to the viticulturalists to know how to harness it for premium results in the finished product.

“The karri loam soils are rich in nutrients and, in having such fertile soils, we need to manage the vineyard to ensure it doesn’t become too vigorous. Vines are close planted which provides competition for nutrients, we shoot thin (cut back fruitful shoots to reduce the crop), hedge and leaf pluck to control growth. This practice is vital to ensure good-quality fruit at harvest time,” says Patrick.

Denmark is home to a plethora of wineries worth stopping in at. Rockcliffe is a oasis of greenery where sustainability and simple pleasures reign supreme. Enjoy woodfired pizzas, platters and homemade gelato alongside your wines. Meanwhile, The Lake House Denmark is also a stunning spot to stop for lunch, with its gourmet vineyard platters a speciality; packed with fresh, locally sourced produce.

Be sure to add Castelli Estate, Duckett’s Mill Wines, Estate 807, Forest Hill Wines, Harewood Estate, Moombaki Wine, Paul Nelson Wines, Monkey Rock Winery and Willoughby Park Winery to your extensive list too.

Visit greatsouthernwine.org.au/wineries to discover the complete collection of wineries within the Great Southern