Garlands
 Garlands is a boutique winery and vineyard located in Western Australia’s premium cool climate wine region, the Great Southern. Just out of Mt Barker with the stunning Porongurups as the backdrop, the winery’s unique microclimate and traditional hand crafted winemaking style produces elegant wines that express outstanding regional and varietal definition. Hard work and an unwavering passion have created one of the wine industry’s best kept secrets!
Mature vines planted in 1988 in the heartland of the famed Great Southern were the attraction for Mike and Julie Garland to purchase the Mount Barker property in 1994. A partnership with friendly neighbours Craig (currently studying the gruelling Master of Wine programme) & Carolyn Drummond saw the development of the state of art winery in 2000, and in 2002 the partnership extended to UK admirers Patrick and Christine Gresswell who fell in love with the wine on a chance visit.
Humble beginnings with the premier vintage made in 1996 receiving a gold medal at the Qantas Wine Show of Western Australia for Mike’s first attempt at Cabernet Franc wasn’t bad. The 1999 vintage was the first one made on site from a 6 x 6 metre shed that was originally used as the Garlands house while they built their labour of love from hand made bricks! Mike was then inspired to pursue his dream and create the custom designed winery that today processes about 150 tonnes of fruit. By the way that hand brick house got built too, although the extension is still a job for a rainy day…
Michael Garland – winemaker, GM, house builder, he is it! Just completed Oenology from Charles Sturt University and is experienced in cool climate winemaking from vintages with Plantagenet Wines. Mike is a self confessed lover of vintage and being amongst the action but not the biggest fan of pruning on those chilly wintry mornings!
The new releases from the portfolio include 2002 whites and 2001 reds from the premium collection and the entry level Barker Hill range. Featuring elegant, cool climate styles they include – 2002 Riesling, 2001 Chardonnay, 2001 Merlot, 2001 Shiraz & 2001 Saros, as well as the Barker Hill 2001 White & Red. The range is both classical in style and interesting in nature – with their signature white Riesling (which by the way has just been nominated for the George Mackey Memorial Trophy making it one of the country’s most outstanding exports) released with a Stelvin closure and their signature red Saros being an unusual Cabernet Franc wine which has won them much acclaim. The Garlands wine label depicts the tranquil view from the winery as the rising moon moves across the end peak of the Porongurup Ranges. Mount Barker is renowned for its majestic night skies. A luminous crescent moon setting into the night sky is depicted on the Barker Hill wine label. It showcases the commanding hill of Mount Barker below where the winery is nestled.
View the Garlands wine list here >>
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