Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm here today to champion two very special regions that I'm privileged to represent in my electorate of Hasluck. They are the wine regions in the Perth Hills on the Darling Range; and the areas of Caversham, Middle Swan and Jane Brook within the Swan Valley, where Sandalford Wines, Mandoon Estate, RiverBank Estate and Ambrook Wines are located.

This year the Swan Valley will celebrate its 184th anniversary of winemaking. It is the oldest wine region in Western Australia and the second oldest in Australia. It is also the world's second-closest wine region to a major capital city, with Vienna, Austria, having the closest. With over 150 businesses in the Swan Valley, they are well positioned to expand wine tourism, and I congratulate them on making the visitor experience quite unique.

Then there is the Perth Hills wine region, a little further away from Perth's CBD. It consists of four wine routes, those being the Bickley Valley, Chittering Valley, Heart of the Hills, and Serpentine Valley winery and vineyards. The Bickley Valley and the Heart of the Hills wine regions fall within my electorate of Hasluck, where some exceptional wineries are located, such as Ashley Estate, Brookside Vineyard and Hainault Vineyard and Cafe, in Bickley; Carldenn Homestead Wines, in Walliston; Chidlow's Well Estate; Malmalling Vineyard, in Parkerville; Lake Charlotte Wines, in Wooroloo; and Lionmill Vineyards, in Mount Helena.

The Perth Hills is uniquely characterised by charming cellar doors owned and operated by local families, with many young, progressive winemakers who are passionate to create vibrant, award-winning wines. The judges at the Perth Hills Wine Show were the renowned John Hanley, Ian McKenzie and Kim Horton, who were inspired and encouraged by the very hardworking, energetic and enthusiastic winemakers, who are not afraid to try something different in terms of styles and varieties. The wine-judging and trophy presentations were held at the Zig Zag Cultural Centre in Kalamunda. There were 53 entries and 12 winners. I congratulate the members of the Perth Hills Vignerons Association, and the exhibitors, on another successful wine show. The president, Dennis Humfrey, and the secretary, Lyn Sykes, did an outstanding job in coordinating the entries, the judging and the trophy presentations.

I particularly want to congratulate Millbrook Winery of Jarradale in the Serpentine Valley region, and its winemaker, Mr Damian Hutton, for being awarded the best dry white table wine in the show for its 2016 viognier. In fact, Millbrook Winery scooped up three more awards for its voignier and shiraz viognier, taking out the Most Successful Exhibitor, the Chairman's Trophy, and Wine of the Show. I encourage everyone to visit our CBD vineyards of the Swan Valley and Perth Hills to sample, taste and take in the unique valley-to-valley experience.