About Garlands

The boutique winery known as Garlands is located on Marmion Street, Mount Barker, Western Australia. The area in which the vineyard lies is called the Great Southern wine region and has spectacular views of the Porongurups Ranges.

The unique microclimate of the estate contributes greatly to the quality of the fruit, but it takes more than climate to make good wines. Hard work and dedication also are major ingredients and Mike and Julie Garland have those qualities in spades. Their combined efforts have turned the vineyard into one of the great little wineries in the region.

Their hand-crafted wines are elegant and fresh, with all the regional and varietal definition one would expect from such a famous area. The vines were planted in 1998. They were already mature and this was a part of the deciding factors for Mike and Julie in choosing the site for their vineyard. It also helped that the region was covered in rich soils, the climate was cool and the outlook was a dream.

It was in 1994 that they bought the property, then, with a partnership arrangement with friendly neighbours, they built a state-of-the-art winery in 2000. Later still, they were joined in partnership by Patrick and Christine Gresswell, who hailed from the United Kingdom.

Their first vintage in 1996, a Cabernet Franc, won a Gold Medal. The 1999 vintage, however, was the first to be made entirely on the property, in a 6 x 6 metre shed, which also served as their temporary home while they built their own house out of home-made bricks. They are very industrious people!

Mike acts as the winemaker, general manager and house builder. He has also completed an Oenology degree from Charles Sturt University and has experience in cool-climate winemaking from working on vintages with Plantagenet.

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Shiraz are all available at their Cellar Door.