Paul Conti Wines

Paul Conti Wines has grown from its modest 1948 beginnings to become one of Western Australia’s most renowned and admired boutique, family-owned vineyards.

The Woodvale property, which is approximately 30 minutes north of Perth, was the original residence of Carmelo (also known as Charlie) and Rosa Conti, who came to Australia from a small town in their native Sicily in 1927. Today, it is home to a contemporary vineyard and restaurant.

The lovely stone home where the Contis reared their eight children is now a fine dining establishment, but it was once the center of a rural, self-sufficient lifestyle. The conditions were perfect for raising vines, planting an orchard, and growing vegetables due to the black, lush, marshy soils. The property produced cheese, milk (due to the resident cow), pasta, sausages, and of course wine. Small remnants of the past can still be seen today, and the old fruit and olive trees are still flourishing.

In order to serve a burgeoning home market, Charlie started to enlarge the tiny vineyard in 1948. Two of the Conti brothers used a horse (a tenacious animal who was fondly remembered as Mary) and a shovel to excavate the original cellar, which was situated exactly beneath the family home and still exists today.

Young Paul began learning the ancient craft of winemaking from this point on, and decades later, he became a pioneer in the field on his own.

Paul originally started modernizing the modest winery in 1968 and went on to become the first vigneron to make premium bottled wine from Tuart soils (a direct result of Tuart trees grown along the coastal strip where the vineyards are located). His award-winning Mariginiup Hermitage [now known as shiraz], a premium wine still produced from the original grapes planted on the Mariginiup vineyard in 1958, was the catalyst for his early success.

Currently, only fruit picked by hand comes from the four Conti vineyards, which are situated in Margaret River, Woodvale, Mariginiup, and Carabooda. Woodvale is a homestead property with black sandy soils inside Yellagonga National Park (located within the esteemed Willyabrup sub-region). The nearby areas were chosen because of their limestone-based soils, which provided cool coastal sea breezes in the hot, dry summer months, and their proximity to the Indian Ocean, which provided nearly ideal maritime conditions. No vineyard location is farther inland than 6 kilometers.

Shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, grenache, merlot, chardonnay, chenin blanc, muscat, and nero d’avola are just a few of the varieties produced between the four vineyards and all perform exceptionally in the area.

As was already mentioned, the recently acquired Margaret River property of the Conti family is situated on Miamup Road in the renowned Willyabrup neighborhood where sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, semillon, cabernet sauvignon, and malbec complement a new chapter in the family’s reputable wine stable.

Paul Conti’s premium line is expanded with the Medici Ridge label. Its distinguishing feature is that fruit is soured from outside producers based in the South West region’s milder environment (approx. 3.5 hours south of Perth).

Shiraz and merlot, two wines from the same range, show distinctive regional characteristics. For this reason, each of the low-yielding, non-irrigated vineyards have been carefully chosen.

In the South West’s Pemberton region, Pinot Noir has also been supplied from respected producers for many years, and the wine is building a commendable reputation as a full-bodied, richer style among pinot noir connoisseurs.

Third generation Jason Conti took over the entire winemaking operation in 1991. Since then, he has worked closely with his father, adopting a traditional winemaking method while using new technology he learnt while pursuing his viticulture and winemaking studies overseas.

The success of the wines today has been strongly influenced by this special fusion of youth and modern approaches along with traditional wine producing practices.

Paul spends a lot of his time managing the four family-owned vineyards and procuring high-quality fruit from his Pemberton growers now that Jason is solidly established in the family business.

Paul’s business partner and the organization’s logistical backbone is his wife Anne. Berlinda, the daughter, offers sporadic marketing and PR assistance.

In addition to a strong home market, Paul Conti Wines now produces over 7,000 cases annually and serves a wide range of international markets, such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Malaysia, and China.

Swan Coastal region

Some of the state’s most distinctive wines come from the Swan Coastal Region of Western Australia. The region is confined to a small, seldom more than 4 km wide strip that runs from the Ludlow Tuart Forest in Busselton, 230 km south of Perth, southward from Yanchep, 40 km north of Perth.

The towering Tuart trees (Eucalyptus Gomphocephala), which flourish in the area, and the fertile sandy top soils atop a limestone base set the location apart from others. Its proximity to the Indian Ocean is the main climatic element affecting the area. With dry, pleasant summers, cool, wet winters, and no frosts during the growing season, this offers a mild marine environment.

Cooler nights are consistently guaranteed by the summertime afternoon sea wind, which also benefits the vine’s morphology. This enables the development of superb flavor and character.

As previously established, Paul Conti was the first winemaker to create premium bottled wine from Tuart soils in 1968; with his Mariginiup Hermitage [now known as shiraz], he helped establish modern winemaking in the area.

Shiraz’s reputation in the area has increased since those early years. Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon are both wines of undisputed quality.

Due to the presence of limestone in the soil, the reds exhibit tremendous depth of color, character, flavor, and especially refinement on the finish.

The alkali soils are once again a significant factor in the region’s success with chardonnay and chenin blanc. The resulting wines are richly flavorful, traditional dry whites.

If you are visiting Paul Conti Wines and looking for an Auto Wrecking service, you can visit ZZ Auto Wreckers which is located in the same area. Check below maps to find the right directions.