Green Door Vineyard & Winery is a smallboutique establishment run by Ash and Kath Keeffe inthe Ferguson Valley, 20 minutes east of Bunbury.
Located high on the slopes of the Darling Scarp, the cellar door and vineyard offers panoramic vistas of the coastal strip from Myalup to Dunsborough. Ashley & Kath Keeffe purchased the run-down vineyard in 2006 and set about restoring and replanting, with the Grenache and Tempranillo finding near perfect conditions. Other varieties in the vineyard include Monastrell, Shiraz, Fiano and Verdelho.
Ashley is very conscious of soil health and the vineyard is managed with a minimal intervention ethos, creating fruit with great flavour. All grapes are handpicked and basket pressed, with all wines made on the property by Ashley and consultant winemaker, Vanessa Carson. Various different wine making techniques are used including the use of Amphora pots for fermentation, cold soaking on skins and the addition of whole bunches to ferments. The focal point of the cellar door is the grand green door, imported from Fez, Morocco. The Moorish theme of the winery and cafe menu matches the predominantly Spanish/European characteristics of the wines. Ash, Kath and their team take great satisfaction in being involved in the whole process of growing, making and sharing the enjoyment of the wines.
in 1997 willow Bridge planted 100 acres of wine grapes – and held their breath. Then another 50 acres were planted in 1998, making Willow Bridge the biggest planting in what was then a largely unknown region.
The Dewars’ confidence that they had made the right decision was boosted after a phone call from Rob Bowen, one of WA’s best and most highly respected winemakers. Rob showed great interest in what they were doing and was subsequently appointed Willow Bridge winemaker in 1999.
