Forest Hill Vineyard Explained

Winery Name:Forest Hill Vineyard
Winery Logo:Forest Hill Vineyard logo.png
Location Place:1564 South Coast Hwy
Location City:
Denmark WA 6333
Location Country:Australia
Coordinates:-34.9742°N 117.3142°W
First Vines:1965
First Vintage:1972
Signature Wine:Riesling
Varietal1:Cabernet Sauvignon
Varietal2:Cabernet franc
Varietal3:Chardonnay
Varietal4:Riesling
Varietal5:Sauvignon blanc
Varietal6:Shiraz
Homepage:Forest Hill Vineyard
Distribution:International
Tasting:Open to public

Forest Hill Vineyard (also referred to as Forest Hill Wines) is an Australian winery business based in the Great Southern wine region of Western Australia. Its vineyard is west of Mount Barker, and its winery and cellar door are further south, at Denmark.

The vineyard, the first to be established in the region, dates back to 1965. Initially, it was planted by the Department of Agriculture as an experiment in diversification, on land leased from Tony and Betty Pearse for 10 years. The first plantings were a dismal failure, but two hectares were successfully established in 1966. The vines planted in that year, one hectare each of riesling and cabernet sauvignon, grew only very slowly in the cool climate.

In 1972, the first commercial vintage was made from the vineyard's grapes by Jack Mann at Houghton in the Swan Valley. The next three vintages were made by Dorham Mann at Sandalford, also in the Swan Valley. They included the 1975 riesling, which, under the Sandalford label, won 12 gold medals and nine trophies.

The success of the early vintages encouraged others to set up wineries nearby.

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