Cellar Door in the City – Perth Hills & Swan Valley Wineries

It’s always a good event when you say you’re going to ‘go for an hour’ and then 3.5 hours later you actually leave. Last night I attended the Swan Valley & Perth Hills Cellar Door in the City event and I have to admit, I came across some rather lovely gems!

A big thanks to Poppin’ Cork Events who planned the night hosted at The Aviary in Perth City and for inviting me along. It was nice to be able to ‘pop into the Swan Valley & Perth Hills’ for an after work drink!
The night involved 9 wineries, delectable canapés and live music. There were a couple of wineries I hadn’t come across before alongside some old favourites with new vintages and tipples I hadn’t yet tried. Hence why my time at the event was extended, it was too good of an opportunity not to miss trying so many local tipples under the one roof.

Carldenn Homestead Wines

This was a new range of wines for me to try and I have to admit Dennis was a hoot to chat with. Dennis and wife Carline established their vineyard in the Bickley Valley in 1998 when they planted Chardonnay and Semillon (two of my favourites!). Initially they had ties with Oakover in the Swan Valley and now they have Alon Arble from Bella Ridge Estate making their wine.

Picking a favourite is hard as I have to admit I was quite a fan of all the tipples. The Cabernet Merlot however hit it off with my palate from the first sip alongside the 70% Chardonnay + 30% Semillon bubbles (the blend was a complete accident but my oh my a rather tasty accident) and then there was the straight Semillon which tickled the taste buds. I’m definitely looking forward to visiting the Carldenn (the name which I presume is a combo of the married couples first names – too cute!) cellar door in the coming months!

Black Swan Winery

It was so good to see Black Swan at the event as I have to admit I’m long overdue for a visit. Mr. Spittoon and I had a wonderful lunch at Black Swan in 2013 and funnily enough on that visit my favourite was the sparkling Chenin Blanc so there’s no surprise that I was swooning over it last night too!

I also tried through the reds on offer and I have to admit I was well impressed! From the newly released Shiraz (a red the Swan Valley does particularly well) to the CSFM (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Merlot) to the straight Cabernet Franc. I bumped into TC Tour goer, Heidi who was trying Cabernet Franc for the first time and her reaction was ‘it just needs a couple of blocks of ice and some sunshine’ – for her it’s the ultimate warm weather red tipple! Good to see you again Heidi!

Chidlow’s Well Estate Wine

This was another newbie I haven’t yet had the chance to try (in slacking off as a wine blogger I know)! Chidlow’s Well is located along Old Northam Road and has been producing vino for about 20 years now. Bottle prices were all around the $16-$20 mark which I have to admit are perfect for #TCWeekdayWine shenanigans.
The Sparkling Chenin was a stand out for me and I have to admit the Classic White also had my taste buds in a flutter.  And make sure to follow these guys on Facebook too!

Faber Vineyard

It was great to see John again from Faber and chat about all things wine and the Swan Valley. The poor bloke was doing a 15 hour day after driving to Frankland River that morning to pick up his Cabernet grapes which he said were looking mighty fine and told me the 2016 vintage wines are looking good too!

I did too much chatting and not enough drinking here but I did happen to grab a few swirls of the Verdelho and Scarp (a Verdelho, Semillon & Chenin Blanc blend) which were delightful. I must go out to the cellar door again soon for the reds as Faber make brilliant Shiraz and Petite Verdot alongside numerous other reds such as a Durif, Malbec, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cabernet!

Little Black Dog Wine

It was great to see the lovely Tash putting father Norm to work 😉 As always the styling of their little piece of the event was gorgeous and I just loved the cute little bottle lights! Being the wino that I am I could just imagine it’s a good way to find your vino in the middle of the night if you wake up with midnight cravings!

The Chardonnay was tasting bloody brilliant on this particular night and I’m still absolutely crazy about the LBD rosé colour – it’s a knockout!

MyattsField Vineyards

Despite having tasted my way through the MyattsField tipples only recently on my day out with Explore Tours Perth I couldn’t help but have a wee taste as I walked by. Emma and Josh completely twisted my rubber arm!

I was also a major fan of their ice-bucket, it looks like it’s off the set of Game of Thrones. As always the bubbles had me swooning, the Chardy was drinking really well and that Provence style rose had me tickled pink 😉

RiverBank Estate Winery

What’s not to love about the friendly bunch behind RiverBank Estate. It was lovely to see Nicola and Anna again and yep I went straight for that crisp refreshing Vermentino of theirs. It was actually my first tipple of the night and what a great way to start!

I was uber excited to hear that Cathrine Summers will be singing at RiverBank next month so I’m putting a BIG HINT out to Mr. Spittoon that he really needs to take me on a date!

Sittella Wines

You know what, I only had time to try my dear friend the sparkling Chenin Blanc and I’m pretty sure we’ll never get sick of each other’s company. Sittella do sparkling wine so well and being a bubbles girl I simply couldn’t resist.

Yuri was manning the Sittella station tonight and I even got a smile out of him (photographic evidence below)! It was great to hear more about The Nest, Sittella’s new laid-back wine bar, which I hear is opening very soon. Apparently the wine list at this soon to be hot spot will include some interesting back vintages and other intriguing tipples. I can’t wait!

Talijancich Wines

Verdelho & fortified. Tali does both of these exceptionally well and being the last stop of the night it was the perfect nightcap! Aged Verdelho from Tali is a particular favourite of mine and I have to admit the Julian James 1974 Solero ‘Rare Pedro’ went down an absolute treat!

All up it was a great event to see so many awesome local wines in the one spot and chat with the people behind the wine labels.