Background
In the vast Great Southern of Western
Australia sprawls the cool and sunny wine region of Frankland River. Here,
tucked away from it all, amidst wide open country and rolling hills and enjoying
classic, deep, gravely loam soils, lies Alkoomi, one of Australia’s most remote
wineries, 350kms south of the capital city of Perth.
Not surprisingly, considering the tyranny of
distance, this vibrant, young wine region emerged relatively recently, in the
early 1970s. It’s no coincidence that Alkoomi is of the same age, for it was
Alkoomi’s founders Merv and Judy Lange who pioneered the area.
Back in the late 1960s the Langes recalled
that Californian Viticulturist Dr Harold Olmo had recommended the area for vines
in 1956 and that legendary West Australian winemaker Jack Mann had concurred.
So in 1971 at ‘a place we chose,’ on land over
two million years old, in a tiny corner of their property on rolling hills at an
altitude of 360m above sea level and around 80 kilometres inland from the far
south coast, Merv and Judy planted just one hectare of Cabernet Sauvignon.
After all, Dr Olmo had identified that the
climate and deep well-drained soils (gravely loams) were similar to those of
Bordeaux in France. The long, cool ripening conditions were perfect for
producing grapes of intense varietal character.
The Langes proved the good doctor right but
not before enduring early setbacks. Frost decimated most of the rootlings in
1971, so the first real crop of 4 tonnes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Riesling
and Malbec was in 1976.
Then the vine worked its magic on the Langes
and, instead of just selling their grapes, they decided to make wine, building a
winery in time for the 1979 vintage. Soon Merv and Judy began to taste success
with many awards at wine shows around Australia. However in the 1990s they
decided to forgo entering shows, instead preferring to publicise their wines via
the many accolades received from noted wine writers
Alkoomi’s wines, of such depth of varietal
flavor and with a remarkably long finish, became ambassadors for the emerging
wine region – just like the Langes had themselves. For Merv was dubbed ‘King of
the Frankland River” by a national wine magazine in 1999 and in 2005 both Merv
and Judy were awarded the WA Wine Press Club’s coveted Jack Mann Memorial Medal
for their outstanding contribution to the wine industry and for pioneering the
Frankland wine region.
Today ‘a place we chose’ – the meaning of
Alkoomi in the local aboriginal language – is one of the largest family-owned
wineries in Western Australia. Here the whole Lange family is still very much
involved in running the busy winery with 105 hectares (263 acres) under vine
producing over a million bottles of wine annually.
The Alkoomi vineyards and winery are located
in the rapidly expanding Frankland River region northwest of Albany in Western
Australia, about 80kms inland from the Southern Ocean. The southern influence
makes this the coolest climate region in Western Australia and one blessed with reasonable
rainfall, long autumn sunshine and generally very consistent climatic conditions
year by year.
The name Alkoomi, which in Aboriginal dialect
means "the place we chose", was selected by the original settlers in
the 1880's. Merv Lange's father purchased the 1,220 hectare property in 1946
when it was still largely bush country, and developed a mixed farm of grain,
sheep and cattle. The property retains many large Australian native grass trees
and this distinctive plant is used as the logo on the Alkoomi labels.
The marked decline in the price of wool in the
1960's led present owners Merv and Judy Lange to seek alternative ways of using
the land. The success of trial vine planting's nearby at Frankland and Mount
Barker impressed them to plant the first vines at Alkoomi in 1971 - 2.5 acres of
Cabernet and Riesling with a little Shiraz and Malbec. "The original aim
was to make wine from 20 tons of grapes" says Merv.
Alkoomi' s first vintage (1976) was released
in 1977, and success came soon after, with the '77 Cabernet Sauvignon still
widely regarded as one of the best reds produced in WA (and still drinking with
enough life today!) Subsequent planting's in the 1980's (including Sauvignon
Blanc in 1984 and Chardonnay in 1986) and again in the 1990's (particularly
Semillon and more Shiraz) greatly increased the area under vine, which now
totals over 180 acres (70 hectares). In addition to the varieties mentioned,
there are now small planting's of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Viognier,
Sangiovese and Verdelho, together with 16 hectares of olives.
The Alkoomi wine business is very much a
family affair, headed up by Merv and Judy Lange with son Wayne (viticulturist),
his wife Elaine and son-in-law Rod (operations manager) and his wife Sandra all
involved. The team is completed with winemaker Michael Staniford, in charge of
the crush of around 1000 tons (80,000 cases). The reds and the Chardonnay are
matured in French oak from several forests, predominantly Vosges.
Alkoomi' s reputation has flourished as one of
the leading small family wine makers in the country. The superb varietal flavors
evident in the wines are recognized by James Halliday in his "Guide to the
Wines of Australia" (2000 edition), awarding Alkoomi a rare five-star
rating. Halliday notes: "Racy Riesling, tangy Sauvignon
Blanc, fruit-driven peach citrus Chardonnay, peppery Shiraz curranty minty Cabernet topped off with the finely crafted cedary Blackbutt are all consistently excellent. "
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