Fire Gully

Bush fires are a regular part of farming life in Australia, though it’s not the kind of thing those involved tend to shout about. Certainly it’s unorthodox to name a winery after them. Nevertheless, Fire Gully takes its name from two major fires, one of which happened in 1952, the other in 1970. At the time, the property, which sits directly behind Moss Wood, was owned by the Butcher family, who planted its vineyards in 1988. Ten years later, the vineyards were purchased by Michael Peterkin, the owner of Pierro, who still lives on the site, and whose own vineyards lie about a kilometre down the road. And, like the Pierro plantings, the vines of Fire Gully benefit from Wilyabrup’s temperate maritime climate and the cooling ocean breezes that generally temper the heat of the Australian summer. Unsurprisingly, the Fire Gully wines have much in common with those of Pierro, but overall the winery’s wines – a Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot and a Shiraz – are made in a slightly more fruit-driven style that makes them incredibly easy to enjoy in their youth.