Information Booklet
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Summary
Owners: Sandy and Rod Hallett
Brands: Alkoomi Icon Wines, Alkoomi Frankland River and Alkoomi Range
Winemaker: Andrew Cherry
Region: Frankland River district of the Great Southern wine region, Western Australia
Located: Wingebellup Road, Frankland River
Area under vine: 102 hectares (255 acres)
Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, Viognier
Annual crush: 1000 tonnes at fully-equipped winery
Location Map
Sales in Western Australia
The Alkoomi Winery, located 11 kilometres west of Frankland River, is open for tastings and sales daily.
The Alkoomi Cellar at Albany is situated at 225 Lower Stirling Terrace and is open for tastings 11am to 5pm Monday - Saturday (closed Sunday).
History of Development
Merv and Judy Lange are pioneers of the wine industry in the Frankland River district. They established Alkoomi when they planted their first vines in 1971 – Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Malbec – and produced their first wines in 1976.
Today, Alkoomi is one of the largest family-owned wine producers in Western Australia. The Lange’s daughter Sandy and her husband Rod on July 1st 2010 succeeded Merv and Judy as owners of Alkoomi with a mission to carry forward the tradition of premium quality grapegrowing and winemaking.
The Alkoomi vineyards and winery share similar climatic conditions to those found in Bordeaux, France thus it is not surprising that Alkoomi produces some of the finest wines made in Australia.
The name Alkoomi is taken from a local aboriginal dialect and translated means "a place we chose".
The Alkoomi logo is a stylised representation of an Australian grass tree which grows in the area.
Alkoomi’s red wines enjoyed success early on and Alkoomi has continued to produce elegant Cabernet, Shiraz and Cabernet blends. The quality of Alkoomi Riesling has helped establish the reputation of Frankland River as one of the best areas for this variety in Australia and the Sauvignon Blanc is also regarded as one of the best in the country.
The consistently superb varietal flavours across a wide range of Alkoomi wines have been recognised by the doyen of Australian wine writers, James Halliday, awarding Alkoomi a five star rating in his “Guide to the wines of Australia”.
Alkoomi’s annual production of about 80,000 cases is distributed to all parts of Australia and is exported to more than 20 markets worldwide.
Vineyards and Winery
The Alkoomi vineyard is located only 80kms inland from the Southern Ocean, resulting in good winter rains and dry ripening months. Summer days and evenings are cooled by fresh sea breezes, enabling ideal slow ripening of grapes. This climatic pattern is very similar to that of the best Bordeaux vintages.
The property includes large areas of suitable soils and aspects. From the initial planting of about one hectare, the area under vine has been expanded throughout the 1980s and ‘90s and expansion of the vineyard has continued steadily over the next decade.
Alkoomi uses water supplied from on-site dams efficiently to prevent vine stress during extended dry periods without sacrificing the naturally low yields that produce concentrated flavours.
The vines are all pruned by hand. Machine harvesting occurs in the cool of the morning, usually starting at 2.00am, to ensure that grapes arrive at the winery in top condition.
The winery is completely self-contained, including bottling, labelling and packaging. All processing equipment – presses, fermentation, oak barrels and stainless steel tanks – is modern and maintained in outstanding and clean working order.
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