Tony and Felicity Ruse discovered the natural beauty of Silverstream Vineyard by chance in late 2004. The property is located in the Denmark sub-region of the Great Southern wine region of Western Australia at the western end of the Bennet Ranges, with elevation and maritime influence. The vineyard is situated on both sides of a valley, with Chardonnay and Riesling sharing the north facing slope and the Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Franc on the south facing slope. The soils are a combination of Karri loams and well drained sandy gravels. The property was originally a cattle farm.
The owner, Tony Ruse believes “A great wine starts with quality soil – we have a wonderful well drained site, our cool climate wines are a direct reflection of this”
The decision was made early to adopt a biological farming process in all aspects of viticulture. Tony has since joined Biodynamic Australia and has slowly introduced some of the preparations they recommend. There are now clovers and serradella (both legumes) feeding the inter-row and under-vine and the soil is soft and aerated. Biological (no herbicide/pesticide) is a continuing challenge with obvious lower yields.
The Silverstream wines are made by Mike Garland and Silverstream is a five red star Halliday Wine Companion 2022 winery. Mike’s winemaking philosophy is that “it is always about balance and structure – something that can only be truly achieved from cool climate viticulture.”
The wines produced under the Silverstream brand include a range of Traditional Method sparkling, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
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