03 / Our People
Old friends. Good wine.
Two friends from Kewdale, and the small local team who turn our fruit into the wine in your glass.
In 1969, two five-year-old boys met across a quiet Kewdale street. Patrick Coward and Martin Black, both sons of British migrants, grew up side by side and have been best friends ever since.
Co-founder
Patrick Coward.
Patrick arrived from the north of England aged four. He skipped university and learned business at a small screen printing firm, then bought a one-man engraving business in Welshpool and grew it into a printing and badge company.
He's known for his eye for detail, right down to the wine back label. He chose our textured, parchment-feel paper and insisted on a good back label, because at a dinner table people often read the bottle from the other side.
Co-founder
Martin Black.
Martin started out in 1981 in newspapers, radio and magazines before moving into PR. In 1991 he founded Corporate Communications (WA), and in 2003 he received a Business News 40under40 Award.
He's also a self-confessed lifelong chocolate lover, which goes some way to explaining how a winery ended up sharing a road with a chocolate factory.
The label
Across the sea on an umbrella.
Look closely at our label and you'll find two businessmen crossing the sea on an umbrella, with the outlines of England and Western Australia hidden in the clouds. It's the journey both families made from Britain to WA.
The name follows the French tradition of naming a vineyard after its owners. They bought the Wilyabrup property in 1997, planted the first vines in 2002 and launched the label in 2006.
“All great wine is made in the vineyard.”
The team
Vine to glass.
Ellin Tritt
Ellin holds double degrees in winemaking, viticulture and agribusiness. She oversees each vintage with the vineyard manager, tracking ripeness, acidity and flavour so every block is hand picked at its peak.
John Standish
One of Margaret River's most accomplished viticulturists, John has been with us since 2008. He established our Swan Valley vineyard and brings modern viticultural practice to both sites.
Come say hello.
Our team pours wine tastings at both cellar doors seven days a week.
