About Kalgan River Wines

Kalgan River Wines lies about forty kilometres from Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It is situated on the northern slopes beside the Kalgan River. The area is a magnet for tourist because of the spectacular scenery, which visitors from all over the world come to see.

The vines on the estate are planted in deep, rich soils, which Professor Harold Olma in the 1950s described as ‘being akin to the famous Coonawarra.’ High praise indeed! And accurate, too! Their first vintage, a Riesling, was an instant hit and won much acclaim at the Sydney International Wine Show 2006.

John Ciprian retired from his jewellery business and followed his heart. His Croatian forebears on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia had a vineyard and John was involved in making home-made wine as a lad. His father also told him of his time in the Swan Valley near Perth ploughing fields with a horse. All these latent images must have had some bearing on his decision to start his own vineyard and this he did with determination.

They planted their first vines in 2000 and, after a couple of dry season years, they now have a healthy, thriving vineyard, which they run with as ‘little interference as possible.’

They have around twenty hectares planted to vine, including: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Shiraz and Viognier. Their policy is to strive for maximum quality, rather than quantity in their fruit. Their first vintage set the standard and now they intend to keep up to the mark, or even better it.

They hand pick the grapes and craft the wines very carefully. Everything they do at the vineyard is geared towards the enhancement of the fruit and turning it into the highest quality wine. The results are plain to see.

They do not have a Cellar Door, but you can order Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Shiraz and Viognier from their web site.