By Fergal Gleeson

Firetail Wines

Visitors to the Firetail Cellar Door are greeted by the owners, Rob Glass or Jessica Worrall.  The couple came to Margaret River in 2006 taking over a property planted with vines nearly 30 years old at that time.

Their plan was to open a small boutique Cellar Door selling high quality wines. It’s mission accomplished as they have collected a slew of gold medals at wine shows and they’ve rated very highly in Halliday’s Australia Cabernet Challenge.

The wines are made by the highly regarded Bruce Dukes and Peter Stanlake, but the couple are firmly in control from the vineyard right through to the finished wine.

There’s a strong sustainability ethos at Firetail where they avoid the use of pesticides. The resident flock of Guinea Fowl wander the property from sun rise to sunset feeding on insects and other pests.  There is nothing they like better than an aerial chase of a grasshopper apparently!

They are trialling the further reduction of herbicides and fertiliser runoff has also been dramatically reduced through better vineyard practices.

Visitor are treated to tastings of all their wines including a vertical tasting to two vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon.  The range covers everything from the Margaret River classics to a method traditionelle sparkling and dessert wine.

You’ll hear from Jessica and Rob about how the wines are made and why they chose to make them. The Cellar Door, next to The Berry Farm, is the only retail location for Firetail Wines.

Rob’s recommendations for summer are the 2015 Firetail Sparkling Chardonnay, where the bottled wine spends an impressive 30 months on lees (yeast) before being disgorged.

The 2018 Firetail Sauvignon Blanc, made in the style of a Sancerre with a partial barrel ferment and batonnage in barrel for six weeks and the 2019 Firetail Rosé, made from their Merlot grapes. The Halliday Wine Companion says “The wine quality is exemplary and the prices almost old fashioned.”

More at www.firetail.com.au

From Your Margaret River Region Magazine