At the beginning of last year, members of the Denmark River Probus set themselves an ambitious and rather exciting challenge: to make their own wine from scratch. The idea was warmly embraced, with everyone contributing along the way, from picking and pressing to bottling and labelling.
Thanks to the club’s valued connection with Coby and Luke from Rosenthal Wines, members were able to source Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and gain helpful guidance. On a very wet April morning in 2025, members headed into the vineyard to harvest the fruit.
The project was kept intentionally low-cost. Coby and Luke provided both their expertise and access to grapes free of charge, equipment was shared, bottles were saved and cleaned by members, labels were designed in-house, and even the barrel found a future home as a garden feature.
Members followed each step of the winemaking journey, from fermentation and careful monitoring to racking and refining, gaining a real appreciation of the process. As they discovered, making a good wine involves not only knowledge and care, but also a little luck with the weather and timing.
After a year of anticipation, bottling day finally arrived in April 2026. On a perfect autumn day, 291 bottles were filled. At around $1.50 per bottle, it may well be one of the best value wines in Western Australia, and already a very enjoyable drop.
Now, members look forward to seeing how it matures, while enjoying what they created together.
