Isolation Libations - Virtual Perth Hills Wine Tour

​Perth Hills Wine Tour – Iso Style

The COVID has made it necessary for Cellar Doors to close for wine tastings - but staying home and drinking wine on the couch alone isn't your only option!

We wanted to bring you something fun, informative and interactive while our tours are on hold - AND support our wonderful producers who are all like extended Hidden deTours family!

The idea of this tour is that it’s almost like being in the Perth Hills with us! We talk to the winemakers, owners and managers and get a sneak peek behind the curtain.

In case you missed the live stream via Facebook - here’s where you can see the replays of the first in a series of Isolation Libation virtual tours from our bus to your living room!

Stops 1 & 2 - Tonon & Fairbrossen

​The first two stops are in one live stream because they’re so close together! We keep the camera rolling while we crossed the road from Tonon to Fairbrossen.

We start at Tonon Vineyard and Winery and meet Dan, passionate winemaker and olive grower - and the reason we have Prosecco grapes growing in WA!

His focus is Italian style wines, a nod to his family history and we heard all about the Fiano and Prosecco - but he also does some cracking reds.

 A 1 minute bus ride and we're across the road at Fairbrossen to meet Matt.

He gets his hands dirty showing off his amphora and explains his Sideproject and the feature wines - the Fairbrossen Tempranillo and his Sideproject Saperavi.

Matt is a true wine nerd who respects the ancient winemaking process as much as possible in his approach. Bear with us as we lose internet a couple of times (it's the hills - bound to happen), it's worth sticking with it to hear Matt's thoughts on making "smashable" wines.

Stop 3 - Carldenn Homestead

We travel through the gorgeous Bickley Valley to our next stop - Carldenn Homestead, and meet local icon Dennis next to his giant steel scarecrow, Dionysus.​

Dennis takes us inside to his cozy cellar door where he explains his range of wines and a bit more about the Bickley Valley.

What a great way to hear the old stories - in front of a roaring fireplace! 

Stop 4 - Plume

Next up we take you down the newly-sealed driveway at Plume and through Jim and Audrey's new drive-through cellar door setup!
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The views from Plume across the hills are breathtaking - and a truly amazing place to sneak in a spot of lunch.

Jim takes us through his feature wines; their award-winning Sparkling and their Reserve Shiraz. We can't wait to go back and taste them for ourselves!

Next stop is Myattsfield.

​Stop 5 - Myattsfield

We meet cellar door manager, Alec outside and he invites us in and tells us about the extensive range of wines, including the feature wines - the Vermentino and Durif. 

Next we meet owner Josh in the barrel room who tells us more about the history of the property and how he got started in winemaking.

After that we see the fastest disgorger in the west (maybe anywhere) Rachael, Josh's wife. She explains why sparkling wine is disgorged and shows off her skills.

Stop 6 - Hainult

This winery has some of the oldest grape vines in the Bickley Valley, which is where we meet owner Michael who talks to us about the vineyard and the grape varieties grown there.

We walk up to their new cellar door and meet Kelli and she explains the range and the feature wines: the Field Blend White and the Cabernet Sauvignon.

​This winery is also home to Mistelle Bickley and when restrictions are lifted you'll be able to go and have a meal.

Stop 7 - La Fattoria

At our last stop we meet Lucy and Eric at "The Farm" and walk through their apple shed and into the restaurant, normally teeming with guests on a sunny weekend afternoon.

The light hits the vineyard just right at this time of the day and it's spectacular!

We hear about the wines from Eric, which are Italian style to reflect his family history, and go into detail about the feature wines; the Sparkling Pignoletto and Nero D'avola​.

And that's where we wrap it up folks!

What a huge day of exploring the Perth Hills. We hope you laughed with (and at) us and learned something new about wine from the Bickley Carmel Valley (or both)!

We can't wait until it's safe to take you all out there on our little bus to meet our valley friends and let you taste the wines for yourselves - but hopefully this was the next best thing and you felt like you were almost there.