Swan Valley Wineries: Pandemonium Estate

Visiting Pandemonium has been on my to do since they opened their doors in November 2015. I am so glad to have gone out there recently as we had such a wonderful afternoon and really struggled to leave!

Pandemonium = “wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos. 2. a place or scene of riotous uproar or utter chaos. 3. (often initial capital letter) the abode of all the demons”.

Haha well if that’s what we can expect from the newest cellar door in the Swan Valley, I can’t wait to see how they shake up the place!

The Cellar Door

Firstly, I just loved how you walk through a track in the vineyard to the cellar door. What a lovely first impression! And it makes you work up a bit of thirst (even though it may be only 200 steps on your fitbit!).

I love the look and feel of the cellar door. From the outside it looks like a one big shed and then inside it’s simply gorgeous and must have one of the best views in the Valley.

The shed is kitted out with a gorgeous stainless steel tasting bench with stunning Edison bulb drop down lights over top. There are mobile tasting/drinking tables made out of large grape picking crates and I just love how the back of the shed opens up to a view of the vineyard with the Perth Hills as the backdrop. So stunning and I could have literally sat there all day soaking up the view, and the wine of course 😉

The Tasting

Tastings are free at Pandemonium and I really loved how they use stemless glasses. As their tagline says ‘A taste of Spain in the Swan Valley’ – the glasses really added to that laid-back European feel. All I needed was a plate of paella, followed by a midday siesta and I could easily be living the Spanish life.

Naturally we tried through the list from top to bottom and there were so many gems! From the 2012 Chenin, to the 2013 Savignan & Chenin blend to the Grenache rosé and various Shiraz blends – so many tasty tipples! Oh and the fortified was a delicious surprise, absolutely divine, which goes to show why it picked up a bronze metal at the Swan Valley Wine Awards last year.

It was interesting to hear about the Savignan grape which is not a typo by the way. It’s a French grape typically grown in the Jura region.

The grapes for Pandemonium’s wines are sourced from both their Swan Valley vineyard alongside their Ferguson Valley vineyard.

The wines are all named after ‘happy demons’. The rosé had to be my favourite ‘The Rosier’ (see the definition here) – men, this may be the wine you need to buy to woo that lovely lady you have your eye on!

After the tasting we were in no way ready to leave yet so we decided to buy a glass and soak up the view. At a very cost-effective $4 per glass we weren’t complaining. We were also treated to a lovely homemade platter of crackers, cheese and olives – perfection!

The Service

These guys know exactly what good hospitality is!

Loraine took us through our tasting, she owns and operates Pandemonium alongside her hubby Martin. She is originally from Edinburgh so we had some great chats about wine and travel. Absolutely top-notch service and I think we all could have chatted the afternoon away.

I have to mention Piper too, the lovely 9-year-old spaniel pup who was a touch shy but I think he really enjoyed giving us all a good smell. Pandemonium Estate is another dog friendly Swan Valley winery by the way!

We ended up buying two bottles of the 2014 ‘Celtic goddess of evil magic’ Moscato for the bargain deal of $15 for two to enjoy that night with the paella I was making – a wonderful match. You can learn more about what Moscato is via my post here,

Our Demons

As mentioned we sat down for a glass of wine after our tasting – so the question is, what did our wine choice say about our inner demons?

Mr. Spittoon opted for the Chenin Blanc which makes him ‘The Fruitimer’ – the demon who rules over parties and festivals. Quite fitting actually.

And I went for a glass of ‘The Barbas’ Shiraz Tempranillo – a demon who answers truly on secret things, causes and heals disease and changes men into other shapes. Haha not to sure what I think about that 😉

I would definitely suggest popping out to Pandemonium soon, and make sure to stop in for a good hour or so to really enjoy the pandemonium of the Swan Valleys newest winery. Plus we heard a Bed and Breakfast on the property will be available soon too!

Visiting Pandemonium Estate

Address: 1050 Great Northern Hwy, Baskerville WA 6056
Opening times: Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays 11am-5pm
Wine Styles/Varietals: Chenin Blanc, Savignan, Grenache, Moscato, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Viognier
Wine tasting cost: Free!
Website: www.pandemoniumestate.com.au
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