By Fergal Gleeson
Marlborough Winemaker Nigel Ludlow fell in love with Margaret River the first time he drove into Dunsborough. “I was blown away by the beauty of everything; the land, the beaches, the vineyards, the rugged coastline, the weather…”
His first vintage came from two barrels of Chardonnay made in his garage and Evoi Wines was created to harness his passion do things his own way.
Evoi is now a Halliday 5 star rated winery, where James Halliday notes “The quality has been exceptional.”
“I think Margaret River is the most beautiful wine region in the world,” Nigel says. “Most importantly due to the positioning in the Southwest with the cooling oceans and incredible soils we have the perfect environment to grow grapes.”
“Add to that the scenery and boundless other attractions of the region, you have a winning formula. Other regions I’ve worked in have some beautiful attributes but not the whole package that we have here in the South West.”
The most important thing he has learnt from operating as a Flying Winemaker in Hungary, Spain and South Africa is that winemaking is not done by recipe. Winemaking is art. “My main moto is “taste, taste, taste”, Nigel says.
“I know each tank intimately and every winemaking process is accompanied with a sample. I call this passion!”
You’ll be meet by Nigel at the cellar Door and be led around the winery, tasting the yet to be released wines. It is a real cellar door, attached to a real winery.
There’s a kids playground, a petanque (Boules) pitch, and Evoi offer picnic sets to pair with your favourite wine. The cellar door is next to the vineyard on a beautiful expanse of lawn overlooking a picturesque lake. There are also two cabins on the property for short stays.
“The Bakenal range is our “go to” Summer wines”, he says. A White, a Red, and a Rose (RRP $16). “The Evoi SBS is a great Margaret River classic. This has a slight twist with 10% wild ferment in barrel blended back to give more layers of complexity. And then there’s the Reserve Chardonnay but I’ll stop there, otherwise I’ll list my whole range!” he jokes.
From Your Margaret River Region Magazine
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