It was decided in the mid nineties that the land we had been using for agisting cows from neighbouring properties may be better suited to growing grapes.
Our property is located at the top end of the Margaret River region, not far from the small town of Vasse on the Carbanup River.
John, Jean, Ian and Ross Porter emigrated to Australia from Scotland more than half a century ago. On arrival in Western Australia they soon settled in Busselton, the farm is one of the properties they acquired over the years.
To reflect the Scottish roots of the owners, it has been named Bannockburn.
For the curious among you, Bannockburn was the site of a great battle between Scotland and England in 1314. Under the leadership of their King Robert the Bruce, the Scots numbering just 13,000, managed to repel a force of 40,000 commanded by Edward the Second. For the Scots, the victory has been described as the greatest in their history.
As is the case with any new venture, the birth of Allison Valley Wines has been a learning curve.
At the tender age of 22, Dave Porter (Ian's youngest son), took on the responsibility of establishing a vineyard. He embarked on studies at TAFE in Margaret River that specialized in Viticulture (the science of growing grapes). In effect he was learning on the job, as while he attended to his studies, the work of planting the vineyard began.
In 1996, with the advice of Ian Lewis of Cape Clairault Wines, we embarked on a planting of Cabernet and Shiraz.
The vines were planted on their own root stock.
During those early days there were a number of revelations. The first was not spraying for weeds before the cuttings were planted. This resulted in the laborious task of ridding the vineyard of noxious weeds by hand. As well, there was a sudden need for a natural windbreak to protect the plants. Then water became the issue. We experienced problems not only with reticulation, but also with supplies of the precious resource, water. Happily though, we can say those problems have been rectified over time and are now well behind us.
In 1999 our red vines produced their first fruit. Those grapes were sold to Abbey Vale Wines.
As for our whites, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc varieties were planted in 1998. In order to improve fruit quality and yields the cuttings were planted on selected rootstocks, a method that has worked well for us. Those vines produced their first fruit in 2001. The grapes were sold to Cape Clairault.
In 2001 the Porter family decided it would best to produce a wine of its own.
In the search for a name it was discovered, Bannockburn Wines already existed. So it was decided to use the name Allison - the maiden name of Ian and Ross Porter's late mother Jean.
Under the Allison Valley Wines label a Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon vintage were produced in that year.
Twelve months on and two white vintages were then produced. A Sauvignon Blanc as a well as a blend of our two varieties - a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Both of these wines were produced again for our 2003 vintage and have improved.
In 2004 it was decided to source Merlot grapes and as a result, the 2003 vintage will see a Cabernet Merlot variety joining our range. The initial feedback on the red vintage is that we are again destined for a good year.
Allison Valley Wines is a relatively small operation that is growing year by year. As our vines mature, our yields have improved and the quality of the fruit has been outstanding.
Although we make our own wines we have been selling grapes to Vasse Felix, Moss Brothers and Harman's Ridge. The feedback from these companies has been very positive.
Our property is being managed and nurtured under the watchful eye of Matt Lewis. His efforts over the last few years have seen the vineyard thrive. The yields and quality of our varieties has been steadily improving.
Allison Valley Wines are produced through a contractor in the region. The harvest is taken to Harman's Ridge. There it is crushed and placed in vats under the control of winemaker Paul Green.
With the introduction in 2004 of the Cabernet Merlot, our range has grown to five different wines. Each is showing improvement as the years go by. Our aim is to maintain the quality of our fruit and products, as well as to get more people drinking Allison Valley Wines.
what people are saying about us
From “Western Australia Ray Jordan's Guide to Wine 2003/2004”.
Ray Jordan says our 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon is a “leafy minty Margaret River cabernet……a medium bodied wine showing good fruit and varietal definition.”
As for the 2002 Shiraz :”A lighter to medium-bodied wine with light aromatic cherry characters. The palate is soft and finely structured with pleasant simple fruit flavours.”