By Simon Collins
Shepherds tending to flocks grazing along the Kalgan River in the Porongurup region would shelter in a stone hut built out of honey-coloured Mt Barker sandstone in the 1850s.
Later the building was used as a hay shed and piggery before falling into disrepair.
In the mid-90s, the Wisharts – Michael and Valerie and their adult children, Phil and Cathy – employed a stonemason to help them to relocate the dissipated hut … stone by stone.
In family photos of the three-year process completed in 1999, you can see young girls running around as workers toiled to rebuild the century-old structure.
One of them was two-year-old Laura Wishart. Now in her early 30s, Laura is the boss and viticulturist of Shepherd’s Hut Wines.
While the small Porongurup producer takes its name from that sandstone feature, the real reason why Wishart’s grandparents and parent bought the land was the terroir.
“Dad wanted to be a farmer,” she explains. “He had looked at a couple of places but liked Porongurup for the soil, the rain and proximity (to Albany).”
The vineyard initially wasn’t in the plans but, after discovering a pocket of shallow granite ideal for growing grapes – especially Riesling – the family planted vines on north-facing slopes.
Working with Castle Rock Estate, the Wisharts released their first commercial vintage in 2002 while selling most of their fruit to other winemakers.
Today it’s closer to half, and Wishart lives in the old shepherds’ hut with her partner Alannah Rosewood.
“So spoilt,” she laughs. “It’s definitely the nicest place I’ll ever live. In summer, it’s beautiful and cool in the hut, but it stays cold in winter.”
After growing up on the Porongurup farm, Wishart studied agribusiness at Marcus Oldham College in Geelong. She worked for meat and livestock processing company JBS Foods Australia to get “good perspective of the other side of the farm gate”.
Wishart returned to WA in 2018 and when the vineyard manager moved on, she took over.
“I wanted to branch out and do something on my own,” she explains. “Shepherd’s Hut was a very exciting opportunity. We grow very good fruit.”
She helped with production, then sales before making her first vintage in 2021. Two years later, she took full control of the family business.
Wishart loves running a small winery (between 24,000 to 30,000 bottles per year) due to the “ability to have an impact from go to woah” – those little “one per cent decisions” she makes influence the final product.
Shepherd’s Hut grows five varieties of cool-climate grapes: Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and, of course, Riesling.
“Our Shiraz is more Syrah style than your typical Aussie shiraz,” she says. “Even the Chardonnay leans towards acidity and minerality rather than fleshy bold styles.
“The Great Southern has had a lot of recognition for Riesling. That’s the flagship wine of the region but increasingly Pinot Noir is up there as well.”
Shepherd’s Hut makes a ripper Pinot Noir, namely the Michael Mayo Pinot Noir named after her grandfather. The Valerie Anne Chardonnay is named after her grandmother.
Wishart has a strict rule for the Pinot, hand-picking only five tonnes of grapes per hectare to ensure high-quality fruit.
Her other classic-in-the-making is The Hut Riesling.
“We’ve got two blocks of Riesling,” Wishart begins. “Traditionally, our Rieslings come from our original planting and has a flinty, lean, dry style that ages beautifully.
“The Hut leans into that classic Porongurup style.”
Wishart will launch her experimental Black Sheep range with an “off-tart” Riesling in late September. Shepherd’s Hut’s wine club should already have access to the intriguing drop.
“If no one else wants to drink it, at least I will,” she jokes.
“My main goal is to keep improving on what we are doing – making high-quality wines at a price point that’s affordable for most people.”
And, like that stone cottage, Wishart plans to put her little Porongurup winery on the map, small batch by small batch.
