Darlington Estate principal stays true to character

IN his quest to create a unique product, Darlington Estate winemaker Menno Bakkers' philosophy makes good business sense - work with the characteristics of the region.

"When developing our red varieties, we try to work with the product from the area that it's grown in," Mr Bakkers says, describing how his approach is informed by the climate and soils of the area.

"In the hills, we have a warmer climate during the day and cooler nights. This produces a strong red grape, but it means you can afford to keep lots of fruit in the grape."

Red grapes in this environment produce a strong flavour with high acidity. It is important to not overdo these tones by fermenting the wines in oak barrels, which develops the woody flavours, too much.

"Creating a good red in the hills is about striking the balance of not overpowering the fruit with the oak," Mr Bakkers says.

It also pays to be aware of the way regional factors can compromise a variety's quality, as in the case of sauvignon blanc, which is difficult to produce in the area.

Although other Mundaring region wineries, including Lions Mill Vineyards, Lake Charlotte Winery and Café, and Chidlow's Well Estate produce a range of reds, semillons and sparkling whites, Darlington Estate is the only winery to produce a sauvignon blanc.

"Sauvignon blanc is a cool climate grape and difficult to grow in this hot climate," Mr Bakkers says.

"To counter this, we pick half our sauvignon blanc in its early states. It produces a grassier base when it is unripe.

"The other half of the harvest we pick when it is fully ripened. This allows the riper tropical tastes like guava and passionfruit to come through. The grapes are then fermented together, which allows us to blend the acid with the fruit and create a balanced sauvignon blanc."

Since expanding into WA's commercial market, Darlington Estate has had some competition success, winning a gold medal at the Swan Valley Wine Show in 2008 and being finalist for the Gold Plate Award for best restaurant within a winery in 2008.