Visiting Windy Creek Estate in the Swan Valley, Perth
Windy Creek is a result of a Croatian man who arrived on the Western Australian shores in 1924. After spending 13 years cutting sleepers, he was able to put a deposit on his dream property in the Swan. Anthony Cobanov established the vineyard in 1937 and it is now in the hands of his winemaker grandson, Tony Cobanov.
When you first enter Windy Creek you walk into a fairytale land of all things to do with wine. An old tractor overgrows with flowers, old wine barrels are used as tables with umbrellas, rustic grape presses lie about and vines surround you. Since the cellar door is cosily right beside the vines, you really do feel like you’re smack bang in the middle of all the action. It’s pure bliss.
We were first greeted by one of the cellar door team members. Since she was about to finish her shift Tony’s wife, Ruth, then guided our tasting. She was friendly, pleasant and down-to-earth. The day before, I had visited a couple of wineries in the Swan, and I must admit I had to force conversation out of the cellar door teams, which was not fun. Ruth was great and after hearing how successful the winery is, I am sure a lot of that is to do with their fantastic customer service.
As Windy Creek only sell from the cellar door, it really has to be a must-do on your day out in the Swan. They have a great range of whites, reds and 4 different ports. The tasting counter has plenty of water, borrello cheese (made by a premium cheese maker in Western Australia) and crackers, as well as spittoons of course. So you can safely try the whole 15 in a dignified way. I.e. so by the end of it you actually remember what you like and why.
Living in an iPhone saturated world, I of course wrote all my notes on my phone. Which is super handy. However when you go and drop your phone and it doesn’t work again, not to mention you haven’t synced your notes… it’s not so handy. So unfortunately I can’t give you detailed notes this time, however for all of you reading this, I will do the right thing and go back and try all 15 again. Nice of me, eh?
I will however mention my 2 favourites from the range as I bought a couple of bottles home with me that day. I couldn’t resist!
The first one had to be their silver-medal winning 2011 Chenin Blanc. I’m not a huge CB drinker but after a whiff, slurp and spit I was in awe. It has the most gorgeous bouquet of tropical fruits; it reminded me of the fresh fruit stands in Thailand – yum! The palate is equally delectable with some citrus coming through which makes for a nice palate cleanser, leaving your mouth feeling fresh and salivating for more.
My other favourite had to be the Caprice which is a Cabernet rose. A gorgeous pinky-red on the eye (I would love a nail polish in the exact colour of this wine!). It is not like other roses that are normally bland or too sweet. This baby is dry with bowls full of red berries sprinkled with a kick of spice. It has an oomph of flavour and it’s nice dry finish was nothing more than spectacular for my taste buds.
I also highly enjoyed the Old Vines Shiraz on the red scale. Producing, bottling and labeling their own Ports, they have to be a must on your tasting adventure at Windy Creek. Between a White Port, Liqueur Shiraz, 8-Year-Old Port and a Liqueur Muscat, I am sure everyone will find one that they like. I have a feeling I could probably do all my Christmas shopping at Windy Creek this year and everyone will love their presents, that’s how good their range is.
At the cellar door you can also find a range of preserves and chutneys, which are made by Tony’s mother. The range is called ‘Wicked Stepmother’. It sounds like there could be an interesting story behind that one! I bought a jar of their tomato relish however I still haven’t got stuck into it. I have a feeling as soon as I open it, it will be gone in 5 seconds flat.
All up, it was a great afternoon spent at Windy Creek and it really should be #1 on your list of wineries to visit in the Swan. They are open from 11am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday and on most public holidays as well. Bottle prices start at a mere AU$10 and I promise that there is something to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.
For further information, please checkout Windy Creek’s website by clicking here or find them on facebook for the latest up to date information.
