Aaahhh the Swan Valley, Perth’s luscious backyard full of all the good stuff – grape vines! Yes that’s right, grape vines. These beautiful, twisted and knotted trees produce little spheres of juicy goodness that are used to press into the drink of the gods.. WINE! Wine making is a long ancient tradition that has never died, and the art of it is only getting better with time.
The Swan Valley Region has had plenty of practice with this, being one of the oldest wine regions in Australia. Because it is home to some of the oldest vines is Oz, a lot of the vines produce a smaller yet more premium yield – usually more concentrated and intense.
Something you may not know is that this region is not exactly coined as the most idealistic ‘viticulture’ area, however, because of it’s hot long and dry summers, the winemakers are able to get a full ripeness out of the fruit allowing for more robust, crisp and complex flavours in the wines. The wines are also surprisingly ready to drink (yay) sooner then wines from other regions, and can also be cellared for a longer time as well (look out for Museum Release Chenin Blanc – Amazing!).
The climate of the Swan Valley, along with the regions soil, also allows for the winemakers to grow an extremely impressive broad spectrum of grape varieties. Grape varieties that particularly flourish in the Swan Valley include verdelho (considered the signature grape variety), chenin blanc, viognier and superb sparkling wines with the whites. And shiraz, grenache, malbec, cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo with the reds. This region is also renowned for its amazing fortifies and in my opinion give Portugal’s ‘Port’ a run for it’s money!
I could certainly go on and on about the Swan Valley, their wines and all its glory – it’s such an interesting wine region with a lot to offer – however the best way to experience and learn more, isn’t reading blogs**, it is jumping on a tour through the Swan Valley! And what better way to do that then with yours truly, d’Vine Tours.
**Still keep reading blogs!! They’re always insightful!
