Food and wine divine

FAMILY-owned wineries and a rich offering of gourmet local produce make the Mt Barker Food and Wine Trail in Western Australia a memorable road trip.

Picturesque ... Mt Barker wineries are delightfully varied, while gourmet delights are also on offer on the food and wine trail / WA Tourism

FROM a family owned winery passed down through the generations to a hi-tech wine producer renowned Australia-wide, Mt Barker wineries cover the full gamut.

The produce-rich region of the Great Southern is also renowned for its tasty free-range chicken, trout and marron.

The best of these gourmet delights are available on the Mt Barker Food and Wine Trail, with a choice of two drives.

The trails wind past five wineries – though there are more in the region – as well as cafes/restaurants, a gourmet grocery store, a trout and marron farm and accommodation outlets.

The wineries are delightfully varied. Take Galafrey Wines and wine tasting, for example.

Perched on sweeping verandas overlooking a vine-clad valley, cool-climate wines for which the region is renowned can be sampled, while munching on a gourmet platter prepared with seasonal produce from the region.

Think dill-infused fetta, chardonnay mustard, Mt Barker mature cheddar, bouverie smoked trout pate, marinated yabbies, brie, ham, olives, prawns, fruits – the list goes on.

Galafrey started 30 years ago as the dream of Linda and her late husband, Ian Tyrer. For their daughter, Kim, 29, the winery has been a big part of her life. She has fond memories of helping with production – the vines, the wines and visitors are a constant in the treasured memories of her childhood. When her father died three years ago, Kim's decision to leave a flourishing art career was a natural thing to do.

She has rolled up her sleeves to get the job done and, with her mother, has continued her father's work.

"I'm not averse to a challenge – I enjoy it," Kim said. "We have a lot of fun. Mum and I do the cellar doors and all the talking – you're not getting some uni student who doesn't care about the product."

It's this personal attention that Mrs Tyrer believes makes the winery popular. "You're getting a more intimate experience and I think that's what people are after these days," she said.

A stone's throw away is world-renowned Goundrey winery.

It employs between 50 and 60 people. Free tours run twice daily and provide a fascinating insight into the science, the hard work and the passion that go into every wine bottle.

The tour starts in a laboratory – complete with white jacket-clad staff, bubbling test tubes and flashing computer screens – and then it's on to the wine-making process – from delivery of grapes to storage.

Storage facilities are particularly fascinating, with huge containers holding up to 135,000 litres.

Then there's the shed filled with oak barrels, capturing the more romantic side of wine production.

It's also fascinating to learn of the art of wine-making because there is no rule book. Instead, winemakers sample their wines, constantly adjusting, tweaking and combining all the right methods to get the wine right.

And after a winetasting at the cellar door at the end of the tour, we are bound to agree that all the attention to detail pays off.

The Sunday Times