Shiraz
Also known as Syrah, this is Australia’s most widely-planted red wine grape. Swan Valley Shiraz is generously flavoured with immense depth and structure, ripe plum characters and soft, silky tannins. Many valley producers use Shiraz for the production of vintage port and liqueurs.
Cabernet Sauvignon
“The only grape permitted in heaven” according to Swan Valley legend Jack Mann, who was winemaker at Houghton for 51 vintages. Like Shiraz, this variety benefits from the warm valley climate, producing wines with ripe blackcurrant characters and soft yet substantial tannins.
Rosé
A name given to any wine made with red grapes and very little skin contact, resulting in a food-friendly, easy-drinking style with an attractive pale pink hue and minimal tannins.
Fortifieds
‘Fortified’ is a blanket term used to describe a range of sweeter wines fortified with spirit. These include ports of various styles and, at the sweetest end of things, muscats and liqueurs. Brown muscat, Pedro Ximenes and Tokay are some of the grape varieties used to make liqueurs in the valley, although fortified Verdelho and Shiraz have become something of a regional speciality.
Verdelho
Dry, aromatic, fruit-driven Verdelho has become a trademark of the Swan Valley, where it is sometimes turned into a liqueur but is more typically used in un-wooded styles exhibiting spicy lavender hints with guava and melon aromas. The mouth-feel of Verdelho is soft and creamy, yet it remains clean and refreshing because of well-balanced acidity on the finish. Most often enjoyed young, some Verdelhobased styles will reward careful cellaring, developing into rich, complex, full-flavoured wines.
Chenin Blanc
Chenin excels in the warm climate of the Swan Valley, developing ripe fruit flavours, high natural acid levels and an ability to age in the bottle. Young wines are fruit-driven and fresh, gaining added complexity, depth and texture with bottle age.
Chardonnay
In the warmth of the Swan Valley, wooded Chardonnay develops ripe stone-fruit and tropical fruit characters with a subtle, nutty complexity. Unwooded styles exhibit a zippy acidity and hints of grapefruit.
