About This Vineyard
Off the beaten track in Yallingup is one of the most charming and welcoming wineries in the region, Marri Wood Park. In a rough-hewn, tin-roofed shed, Julian and Lisa Wright offer generous quantities of their wines, serve up local organic cheeses and breads and relax and chat with their guests, cheerfully explaining the principals of bio-dynamic farming.
In 2004, Julian and Lisa decided to move to Yallingup to take over running the vineyard that for 11 years had been managed for them. It was a life-changing experience. Julian watched the manager prepare to spray crops wearing a protective suit and breathing apparatus and encasing himself in an air-conditioned vehicle. It added up to something that was clearly dangerous. A timely workshop on bio-dynamics set Julian and Lisa on a path to full-time bio-dynamic farming.
I had never heard of biodynamics before this and it may have sounded ‘hocus-pocusy’ but we decided it wasn’t a heavy cost to try it. It was about finding a natural balance that was sustainable year after year, explained Julian. Soil health is the key, and within a year of starting chemical-free, natural farming, Julian could see a change in the soil’s colour and the vine roots were penetrating better.
More than a vineyard, Marri Wood Park is a farm where cattle, sheep and chickens provide a balance of life and growth, and their manure is a vital part of the soil health. Yields may be down, but the hand-grown, hand-picked and carefully sorted grapes are of a superior quality that is turned into premium red, white and sparkling wines under three labels, Marri Wood Park, Guinea Run and Reserve. We are full-time dedicated farmers, doing everything by hand, and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done.