GOUNDREY Wines will open a $1 million cellar door facility to showcase its Fox River range as it tries to forge a stronger wine tourism industry in the Great Southern region.
GOUNDREY Wines will open a $1 million cellar door facility to showcase its Fox River range as it tries to forge a stronger wine tourism industry in the Great Southern region.
Due to open in mid-December, the Fox River cellar door will be built directly on the Albany Highway in the hope of attracting the attention of passing motorists.
Goundrey Wines general manager and senior winemaker David Martin said the location was all about exposure and promoting the local wine industry.
“Basically we thought by building on the highway, people visiting down this way won’t have to divert to visit us,” Mr Martin said.
“There is a lot of potential for wine tourism to grow here.
“There are a lot of exceptional wines that come from this region. But because the vineyards are fairly well scattered throughout the Great Southern and there is not a critical mass in one area, we have to work to make ourselves more evident.”
The new facility corresponds with a push by Great Southern organisations to raise the profile of the area as a wine tourism destination.
The Great Southern Development Commission, Wine Producers Association, Marketing Association and Tourism Association have jointly produced the Great Southern Food and Wine Map and Guide that details and promotes the region’s fresh food producers, wineries and tourism operators.
A regional wine centre, similar to that established in the Margaret River town centre, is also on the cards.
“Margaret River is a long way ahead of us in terms of wine tourism. They have plenty of cross-promotional events and their cellar door sales are legendary,” GSDC tourism development officer Jay Cook said.
“Producers in the Great Southern have been concentrating on wine production and quality, and in those terms we have caught up with the Margaret River area.
“We are now just beginning to focus on linking wines with tourism and there is a long way to go … but people are starting to recognise the fantastic products that come out of the Great Southern.”
The Fox River cellar door will be Goundrey’s second.
The wine company built one several years ago at its Langton property to present its popular Goundrey range.
The Langton cellar door is set on the Muir Highway, 10 kilometres off Albany Highway.
Mr Martin said there were no plans to build a restaurant at the Fox River facility as it would be purely for buying and tasting wines.
Due to open in mid-December, the Fox River cellar door will be built directly on the Albany Highway in the hope of attracting the attention of passing motorists.
Goundrey Wines general manager and senior winemaker David Martin said the location was all about exposure and promoting the local wine industry.
“Basically we thought by building on the highway, people visiting down this way won’t have to divert to visit us,” Mr Martin said.
“There is a lot of potential for wine tourism to grow here.
“There are a lot of exceptional wines that come from this region. But because the vineyards are fairly well scattered throughout the Great Southern and there is not a critical mass in one area, we have to work to make ourselves more evident.”
The new facility corresponds with a push by Great Southern organisations to raise the profile of the area as a wine tourism destination.
The Great Southern Development Commission, Wine Producers Association, Marketing Association and Tourism Association have jointly produced the Great Southern Food and Wine Map and Guide that details and promotes the region’s fresh food producers, wineries and tourism operators.
A regional wine centre, similar to that established in the Margaret River town centre, is also on the cards.
“Margaret River is a long way ahead of us in terms of wine tourism. They have plenty of cross-promotional events and their cellar door sales are legendary,” GSDC tourism development officer Jay Cook said.
“Producers in the Great Southern have been concentrating on wine production and quality, and in those terms we have caught up with the Margaret River area.
“We are now just beginning to focus on linking wines with tourism and there is a long way to go … but people are starting to recognise the fantastic products that come out of the Great Southern.”
The Fox River cellar door will be Goundrey’s second.
The wine company built one several years ago at its Langton property to present its popular Goundrey range.
The Langton cellar door is set on the Muir Highway, 10 kilometres off Albany Highway.
Mr Martin said there were no plans to build a restaurant at the Fox River facility as it would be purely for buying and tasting wines.
