Myattsfield Winery in the Bickley Valley offers a wide range of wine varieties, blends and styles, including Montepulciano, Petit Verdot, Durif and Viognier.
“We aim to make the best wine we can,” said co-owner Rachael Davenport. We have three winemakers, each very skilled with different experiences and training.
“Our customers are enthusiastic about wine. Hopefully we have something they will like,” said Josh Davenport. “One unlikely looking character with a shaved head turned up recently. He loves wine. You can’t tell what people are keen on by appearances.”
“All the varieties we grow are chosen to suit the environment. They are grafted on drought tolerant root stock and we choose varieties from dry climates,” said Rachael.
Bickley Valley walls reduce direct daylight hours, resulting in the daily maxima arriving later in the day and for a shorter period. The valley benefits from a regular morning sea breeze and cooler nights. At 300–350m above sea level the valley is usually 3°C cooler than the coastal plain, making it a great microclimate for wine grapes.
It is also one of the most attractive country areas around Perth.
The original Myattsfield was the family farm in Camberwell, London. Joseph Myatt established a market garden growing rhubarb and strawberries for the London market. The original farm in Camberwell was engulfed by a growing London but part of the farm was reserved as Myatts Field park.
More than 175 years later, the Davenport family, Joshua and Rachael, descendants of Joseph Myatt, are growing grapes in the Bickley Valley, Western Australia, with Rosie the friendly Meet and Greet dog.
Josh Davenport was born and raised on a citrus orchard in the Bickley Valley. At just 19 years old he planted a small vineyard in his father’s orchard. This planting was expanded over the ensuing years and, in 1999, he bought the Carmel property with the aim of establishing more vineyards and a small winery.
Rachael was born in the Victorian country town of Ararat. Her family had a shiraz vineyard in the Grampians region which supplied a number of local wineries with fruit. In 2003 she became winemaker at Lamonts in the Swan Valley. It was here she met Josh.
In 2006 Josh and Rachael decided they had had enough of working for other people and wanted to pursue their own winemaking interests. They now had five acres of mature vineyards in the Bickley Valley, five acres in Margaret River, and considerable experience in wine production. The winery was built in 2006 and the first crush in 2007.
This family business has three winemakers. In addition to their own grapes, they buy in fruit and are one of very few wineries able to undertake contract winemaking for many other small wineries in the Perth Hills region
What does the future hold for this small but progressive family business?
“We plan to keep carrying on producing better and better wines,” said Rachael.
“We have an extensive cellar door in a lovely country setting and we are only 30 minutes from Perth.” she said.
