Carpe Diem Vineyards

When Gianfranco and Francesca Anderle first visited WA in 2000, they immediately fell in love with the Margaret River region. They promptly returned to Italy, sold up, and returned to purchase their 30ha Wilyabrup property in 2001. Vineyard plantings began in 2003 and continued until '05, with a mix of Margaret River staples (5.5ha of sauvignon blanc and semillon, and 3.3ha of cabernet sauvignon and merlot), the Italian connection cemented with further plantings of sangiovese, nebbiolo, malbec, vermentino and pinot grigio. Gianfranco is a qualified oenologist from Conegliano (northern Italy), the oldest wine school in Europe, and already had 22 years of winemaking experience when he arrived in Australia. The wines are made and bottled onsite. -JAMES HALLIDAY