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Kim's Blog

Linda Tyrer- Pioneer of WA Wine Industry and Founder of Galafrey Wines

I have now been in the wine industry for over 33 years, one of the dinosaurs of Western Australian
Wine Industry, sometimes kindly known as 'pioneer'.
It all began way back in the 1975, after years of wondering around the globe my late husband Ian
decided it was time to settle down and head home. Ian was born and breed in Brookton, WA so
was keen to come back. I was originally from Victoria and willing to settle anywhere. Only problem
was that we were broke from traveling and job prospects for computers programmer like myself
and computer test engineers like Ian in those days were none existed in WA. So we move to
Melbourne for work and to save for our dream which at that stage was only that we would like to
bring up our children in the country WA. After about a year we met Ian's mum in Adelaide. She was
visiting her parents but had been given a mission of finding out what was happening in WA, what
industries were emerging etc. So over a nice curry and a good red, the first idea of going into the
wine industry emerged.
So we went back to Melbourne, our jobs, with a mission to find out all we could about grapes,
wines, growing conditions of the wine industry. We had a good friend John Purbrick from Chateau
Tabilk who inspired us to follow this dream, giving us lots of information about grape clones etc. His
son Alistir had done a feasibility study as part of his studies showing us how in time our fortune
could be made. He too, was young and naive and of course then there was no huge taxes on wine.
Ian and I did a wine education course with Ian Higginbottom who became a close friend and
influenced us to grow Muller Thurgau. The wonderful thing about the people in the wine industry
they are always willing to share their knowledge and experiences. The next stop was the Ag. Dept
and CSIRO who were happy to answer all the weird and wonderful questions we had. I think all
just got caught up in our enthusiasm- the old Aussie 'have a go' principle.
So in 1976 we drove across the Nullabor to WA for three week holiday with a contoured map Ian
had spent months on showing the last frost line, rainfall, average temperatures etc. We met up with
Ian's brother Malcolm who was a geologist, a couple of shovels and off we drove to Margaret River
then to Mount Barker digging holes. Ian use to say it was amazing the south west didn't leak like a
sieve with the amount of holes we dug. Finally we found the ideal place that fitted all the
parameters. A beautiful block with perfect depth of gravel to clay base, good aspect weather
wise, even a bitumen road. The down side which did not show up later, was the lack of water
catchment. In those days vineyards were not irrigated. When we did put in an irrigation system in
the early 1980's we found we did have enough water. So we just accepted that we would be a dry
grown vineyard and got on with it.
Anyway after buying the property we headed back to Melbourne, to our jobs, to our studies,
excited and full of enthusiasm as the first step of our dream completed. Next was to save as much
money as we could for step two - quitting our jobs and moving back. This would take 12 months.
All our friends were shocked, some horrified that we would leave good paying jobs and start this
insane idea of growing grapes and making wine out in the sticks, isolated from everyone and
everything we knew. With lots of theory but no practical experience, half cocked, the kind of thing
you do when you are young with stars in your eyes.
It's 1977, now jobless, we have driven back to WA, this time I am 4 months pregnant. We had our
furniture sent over by truck. After arriving in Perth we met up with Malcolm again. We arranged to
get Ian's dad's truck, a 4 ton tip truck, picked up our furniture and drove to our block in Mount
Barker. First reality check. The property came with an old house. When we were looking over the
place, I said to Ian 'have you seen inside that house' his reply was 'we are buying the land not the
house. Besides we will not be in it long'. Eight years was seven years to long! When my dad, a
builder came over I asked him what I could do about the house as I could see that it would not be a
short term. He threw me a box of matches and just grinned. Anyway in the year we were working in
Melbourne we rented out the house and of course came back to it being totally trashed. Shocked,
emotional and lots of tears so Ian said we could keep driving to Albany and stay at his parents
house. But I knew if we had done that we would find it hard to come back and this was what we had
chosen so we needed just to accept it and get on with it.

To be continued........

Revisit Chardonnay. Your local wine industry will thank you for it!

Ok, so you probably hear this debate before. It’s not a new one and it’s only going to get stronger as the year goes on. I couldn’t help myself and add my bit… so hear it is…. This newsletter will be all about
CHARDONNAY!
You remember that beautiful wine that you use to drink. But somewhere along the line you were enticed into the world of Sauvignon Blanc. Claiming “ I don’t like Chardonnay!” Well let me remind you what’s so great about Chardonnays.
Chardonnay is the great iconic wine of Australia. It’s the most recognized wine variety and what Australian Wine and it’s history is built on. If you look at Mt Barker , we were the first to make unwooded Chardonnay at Plantagenet wines. So Mt Barker can claim Unwooded Chardonnay as one of it’s own. In 2001 Galafrey won a gold medal , raising their profile as being a great producer of Unwooded Chardonnay. In 2003 when I came on board Galafrey was making and selling out of 1000 cases of Unwooded Chardonnay. We couldn’t keep up or find enough fruit. But know I’d be lucky to sell 64 dozen. Why?
Ok, so a neighbour of our ( no names need mentioning) made heaps of Unwooded Chardonnay and flooded the market. You had it everywhere. At the local pub, restaurant and you probably brought 13 to the dozen at the local liquor stores and quaff copious amounts at BBQs. I get it– wine is like food . If you ate chicken every night you’d get sick of it. And as a nation we got sick of always drinking unwooded Chardonnay. And what about that new trend New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Now our market is flooded with NZ Sauv Blanc and in time I’m sure people will get sick of that too. But here’s some reason to relook at your love of Chardonnay over the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.
First buy Australian made products and keep your money in the country. And No New Zealand is not Australian made. Remember they’re the buggers we like to bet at cricket!!
By nature Sauvignon Blanc can be high in acid hence lots of wineries compensate by adding residual sugar. This broadens the wine making it more appealing to the palate. Chardonnay by nature has lower acid making it more pleasing to the palate, add to that, flavours such as white peaches, melons, apricots, stoned fruits, vanillian,creaminess,
FLAVOUR! FLAVOUR! FLAVOUR!
Sauvignon Blans are cat’s pee, asparagus, green apples, gooseberries, passion fruit, pineapple juice, crisp acidity
FRUIT BOMB! FRUIT BOMB! FRUIT BOMB!
And did you know a majority of sauvignon Blanc vines are young 5-10yrs and highly irrigated. Compare that with our 32 yrs old dry Grown chardonnay and it’s easy to see where the flavour comes from.
So give Chardonnay another go, stand up to your friends and say…. Your supporting the local wine industry and buying Chardonnay. Look at our February Newsletter and consider buying some great wine at a great price. We’ve got Plenty of Chardonnay and theirs is nothing wrong with it other than the perception that “ I don’t like Chardonnay’s anymore”.
Be Brave, give it a second chance.

In the begining..Galafrey Wines

So here it is. The start of my blog and my story... ! My Name is Kim Tyrer. I was born 31 years ago about the same time my parents brought a property in Mt Barker WA and planted a vineyard. I grew up in the wine industry. I started in a Mary Poppins style pram, I was on one side and vine cuttings on the other, as my mum, Linda Tyrer, paced up and down the rows planting their future. As I got older I was walking up and down the rows with my mum while taking the buds off the bottom of the vines. Before I knew it I was picking grapes during vintage and bottling on the bottling line. If there was a job I could do I was asked and as soon as I turned 18 I was out the front selling and promoting Galafrey Wines.

In 2003 my father, Ian Tyrer, was diagnosed with cancer and I came home to run the family business. My dad started to show me how to run the labelling line and had hopes of showing and teaching me more about running Galafrey Wines. Unfortunately he passed away 3 months later. I was 26 years old , no brothers or sisters, with a winery full of wine from the recent vintage, a stock room full of stock to sell and a vineyard about to burst. I was about to go on one of the biggest emotional and learning curves EVER! did I mention I was only 26!

Ok, we survived that tragic time. I learnt alot, ran the vineyard and winery and sold all that wine. Chip and Charge is my motto. Every day I get up and tackle my list of jobs and slowly my goals are achieved. Nothing ever happens overnight anyway? right?

Little did I know when I was in that pram my Mother was planting my future. And now I look to my future as the next generation of Galafrey Wines. Galafrey has been going for 30 years and I look to future especially now , did I mention? I am 5 months pregnant and am planning for a possible third generation at Galafrey. Hopefully my best Vintage! and the start of a third generation family winery in Western Australia.