About
Amato Vino are small-batch artisan winemakers based in the Margaret River wine region, Western Australia.
The winemaking philosophy is ‘lo-fi’, in that we embrace wild-ferments, minimal adjustments in the winery, gentle handling. Most wines are unfined and unfiltered. We are hands-on in terms of the grunt work, the care and guidance, but with a hands off approach to the science of winemaking, using little or no inputs and employing traditional processes. An old-school approach yet with a modern flare for creativity and adventure.
Established in 2003 by owner/winemaker Brad Wehr, the labels and wine styles have continued to grow, covering traditional Margaret River varietals through to some eclectic and unusual grape varieties and winemaking methods.
Our winery is located a few minutes south-west of the Margaret River township. We work with a core group of independent growers who share our philosophy, employing minimal intervention and sustainable farming practices.
Vintage 2023... done!
"Woohoo! Another one in the bag... and what a beauty.
Vintage 2023 began gently and late. With a new winery team member on board (Hey Alex!) the winery was given a spruce and tidy up, all gear checked and serviced and ready for biz by the end of January. And then, the wait... A cool Spring meant our white grapes were a little slower to ripen, but it was worth the wait. The whites started coming thick and fast from March 1st, with fabulous flavour concentration and awesome acidity. The stars were aligning for a perfect Margaret River Vintage.
Reds ripened quickly and started pouring in the door, and before we knew it, in one fell swoop, we had 20+ fermenting batches ticking away in the winery... things got super busy, but as always in a fun kinda way!
All-in-all a late vintage (we still have a few wines ticking through primary ferment), but the yields were up (back to normal), and the quality has been superb." - Amato Vino
2024 Bianco
Marsanne / Verdelho
Marsanne from two Wallcliffe vineyards blended with Verdelho from Treeton brings a creamy-yet-zesty sunshine wine of immense smashability.
Both varieties were separately picked, de-stemmed and pressed before beginning natural fermentation in aged oak. A couple of the Marsanne barrels were allowed to go through malo-lactic fermentation before sulphur addition. The wines were left on low sulphur to allow some oxidation to occur and develop the texture.
Final blending took place before an early bottling in May. A bright straw appearance, the wine leads you through an array of tropical notes: banana, honeydew melon, lychee, mandarin skin, cashew nut, jasmine flower, and a touch of Shortbread Cream. Juicy and moreish, a touch of lemon leaf, slate, lanolin and earthy spice (lemongrass, cut green chilli). Creamy is the hallmark of the palate, yet bright and bouncy where it needs to be, up front. Bassy Marsanne – minerally, lemon and beeswax, with the treble of Verdelho – melons, spice and florals.
Getting into it... white peach and citrus, lime and grapefruit, with oily phenolics backing up the rear giving the wine a nice long textural ride to your destination.
Enjoy with or without food. Perfect with Thai beef salad.
Vegan Friendly
Tech
Handling: All parcels hand-picked, immediately pressed.
Fermentation: Wild fermented in French oak and stainless tank
Pressing: Basket-pressed to barrel
Maturation: Brief maturation before bottling
Bottled: May 2024
Alcohol: 13.7%
Ingredients: Marsanne and Verdelho grapes, Sulphur Dioxide
Wine Status: Vegan
Production: 189 dozen
Vineyard: Verdelho - Wellwood Vineyard, Treeton, in the mid-eastern region
Marsanne - Blue Poles and Rocky Road vineyards on the eastern edge of Wallcliffe subregion
Soil: Verdelho - sandy topsoil, lateritic gravel, clay subsoil
Marsanne - Ironstone gravel over clay
2023 Mantra Chardonnay
A single block of GinGin clone offers the generosity and power that the best Margaret River Chardonnay can deliver.
Destemmed and pressed to a settling tank before the juices were racked to French Oak for natural fermentation. Several of the barrels were allowed to go through malo-lactic fermentation before maturation on light lees for seven months. Bottled October, unfined, unfiltered.
A nutty and toasty vibe greets the nose – fresh baked bread, roasted cashew, nutmeg and cinnamon and a little french pastry! On the spice front she’s all lemongrass and lime leaf. Hints of ripe fig follow, before settling into sweet lemon drop, brine, and herbal tea. Some rose petal, mint leaf and lemon honey fill the spaces in-between. A touch of fresh oak shines through, adding a splash of vanilla pod to the limey wildflower notes.
The palate is filled with stone fruits, melon, pawpaw, broad white peach and apricot for the bass notes. Sweet lime and lemony acidity add to the tight structure, while creamy oak fills the back palate. Certainly a wilder style and great drinking now.
Great for risotto, or BBQ’d veges. Organically produced.
Vegan Friendly
Tech
Harvest: March 1st, 2023
Handling: Handpicked, tank-pressed to French oak
Fermentation: Wild ferment in French oak.
Maturation: Maturation on lees in oak for 7 months.
Bottled: Unfiltered, unfined, October 2023
Alcohol: 13.3
Wine Status: Vegan / Organic (uncertified)
Ingredients: Chardonnay grapes, Sulphur Dioxide
Production: 160 dozen
Vineyard: Single vineyard in the Wilyabrup sub-region
Region: Margaret River
2023 Tramonto
Tramonto! Or sunset in Italian. A light red, perfect for chilling – that’s in the fridge or on the porch 😉
An assortment of red and white varieties make up this delightful, juicy wine – mainly Tempranillo and Sangiovese for the reds, with Chardonnay making up the remainder.
Both the reds were pressed off after 24 hours on skins so the colour and tannin structure are both softened significantly. These two grapes offer just the right fragrance and red-berried juiciness for a delectable light red. A portion of each red was also fully fermented on skins to provide just a teeny smidge of tannic/acid structure to let you know you are still drinking a red wine, albeit chilled, in summer, in your bathers.
Light ruby red colour. The nose gives up maraschino cherry, raspberry and musk – some red jubey confect here, licorice, and a little perfumed talc. Very Pinot-esque! Onwards through sour cherry, cranberry and pomegranate to Pink Lady apple skins, smoky meats and earth. There’s strawberry and logan/boysenberry too, rounded out with some leafy herb and leather.
The palate follows with the red/blackberry spectrum and dense savoury plum, blackberry jam and dark chocolate, introducing lighter characters of Seville orange, white pepper and cardamom spice. Black tea minerality, some sappy redcurrant and some firm yet fine tannins bring up the finish. An all-rounder.
Drink young and vibrant with or without food.
Organically produced. Vegan Friendly.
Tech
Handling: Handpicked reds, machine picked white. Some reds destemmed to open bins others pressed early to tank.
Fermentation: Red parcels wild fermented in tank, whites in French oak
Pressing: Tank-pressed
Maturation: 6 months in tank (reds) and oak barriques (whites)
Filtration/Fining: None
Bottled: October 2023
Alcohol: 13.4%
Ingredients: Tempranillo 44%, Sangiovese 42%, Chardonnay 12%, % Prmitivo 2%, Sulphur Dioxide
Wine Status: Vegan
Production: 405 dozen
Vineyard: Various, Margaret River region
2023 Rosso
Sangiovese / Tempranillo / Teroldego / Nebbiolo / Primitivo
A savoury medium-bodied red wine from a few of the big gun red grapes in the Amato Vino quiver, combined here to create the perfect smashable juicy Rosso red..
The base of the wine is formed around Tempranillo (52%) and Sangiovese (24%) while the remainder is split between Teroldego and several other reds. All components are sourced from the same patch of dirt in Yallingup, in the north of the region.
All parcels were naturally fermented separately in open bins prior to pressing, maintained in their own aged oak barriques/hogsheads for 6 months maturation. The components were blended just prior to bottling in October 2023. Unfined, unfiltered.
Juicy ripe red fruits with plenty of flesh on the bones. Tempranillo offers the earthy minerally red-fruits, while Sangiovese brings the sour cherry and fragrant spice and plum, Teroldego leans in with some density and weight – dark chocolate, deep black fruits. Light dances with dark here and fragrant leafy basil and black tea can sit comfortably with ruby red-fruits and mocha.
The palate is all ripe blackberry, creamy redcurrants, dark cacao, leather and earth, tomato leaf, with a nice little vanillan thread… while the tannins are already tamed for drinking now.
Drink young and vibrant with pizza or pasta.
Organically produced. Vegan Friendly
Tech
Handling: Handpicked. Destemmed to open bins.
Fermentation: Wild fermented in assorted oak and tanks
Pressing: Tank pressed
Maturation: 6 months in barrel and tank
Filtration/Fining: None
Bottled: October 2023
Alcohol: 13.6%
Ingredients: Tempranillo (52%) Sangiovese (24%) Teroldego (17%) Others (7%) Sulphur Dioxide
Wine Status: Vegan
Production: 312 dozen
Vineyard: Single site in Yallingup, Margaret River region
2023 Savagnin 'Space Girls'
You get a real maritime feel when you smell good Savagnin – all coastal heath and salty seaside air.
The first fruit in for V22, this hand-picked Yallingup fruit was basket-pressed to tank for settling before racking to aged French barriques to begin a long natural fermentation. The wine remained on light lees for 6 months prior to bottling in September, unfined, unfiltered.
Salty, briny, misty, floral, magical. This smells of a spring- time coast, wildflower aromas, sagebush, smokebush, and then you get that lovely lemon citrus and perfumed talc filtering through. Also tangy green apple, green chilli, mint and curry leaf. Some lovely musky sweetness, lemon curd, palm sugar, mangosteen and green tea. There’s just a touch of toasty French oak peeking through.
The naturally high acidity of Savagnin shows through on the palate. Crisp and bright, yet there’s some warm lemony oiliness in the mouth – yes, it’s creamy but the tight minerally acidity speaks of fresh lime juice in a gin & tonic. At once savoury and sweet: kiwifruit, finger lime, lemon curd, vanilla, cardamom.
Pretty nice with Asian broth.
Organically produced. Vegan Friendly
Tech
Harvest: March 9th, 2022
Handling: Handpicked, whole bunch basket press to French oak.
Fermentation: Mature French barriques.
Maturation: Aged on light lees in oak for 6 months.
Bottled: Unfiltered, unfined, September 2022
Alcohol: 13.7%
Wine Status: Vegan / Organic (uncertified)
Production: 74 dozen
Vineyard: Single vineyard site in the Yallingup sub-region
Soil: Free-draining lateritic soil, sandy gravel over loam
Planted: 2001
Elevation: 50m
Region: Margaret River
2021 Cabernet Sangiovese ‘The Pig'
Old-vine Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon partnered with Sangiovese from Yallingup – separately harvested, fermented and matured in aged casks.
A 85/15 blend (Cabernet Sauvignon/Sangiovese) highlights the contrasts of each variety, yet melds seamlessly. Cabernet offering the black fruits, cassis and pencilly oak; Sangiovese supplying red fruits, and juicy richness. All parcels wild-fermented in open bins, basket-pressed into aged French oak. Unfined, unfiltered.
Medium brick red colour. On the nose aromatics of cassis/anise and that core Cabernet-esque blackcurrant. Tobacco leaf and mocha adding to the mix, while Sangiovese offers the sour cherry, redcurrants and rhubarb.
Medium bodied yet with some density to go with the finesse. Spicy red/blue fruits, coconut and star anise meld with the dark fruits. A potpourri of exotics.
The palate shows blackcurrant, dark plum and eastern spices. The creamy mouthfeel is generous and inviting, with driving acidity and gentle tannin assisting. Briary red/black fruits to lead to a long finish.
Tech
Harvest: Cabernet: March 31st, April 11th 2021. Sangiovese: April 6th, 2021
Fermentation: Wild ferment in open bins
Maturation: Maturation – 18 months in French oak
Bottled: Unfiltered, unfined, October, 2021
Alcohol: 13.8%
Wine Status: Vegan / Organic (uncertified)
Production: 146 dozen
Vineyard: Cabernet – Wilyabrup. Sangiovese - Yallingup
Rainfall: 1100mm
Region: Margaret River
2022 Nebbiolo 'Fire'
Bright ruby/cherry red colour. Aromas of eastern spice, perfume and florals – jubey redfruits, violets, sweet/savoury herbs – leading to earth/peat and some truffle. Also shows glazed cherry and rhubarb, licorice and a slight toffee hint.
The palate is medium-bodied, warm and generous. Spicy redfruits abound - cherry, rhubarb, some prune and choc cherry.
Eastern spices of clove and cardamom, and minerally fine tannin round it out. The juicy fruit flavours and textures lead to the classic crunchy acid/tannin flesh out on the back palate. An Italian classic wine style, firmly structured, yet approachable in its youth. Best enjoyed with food.
With pasta and truffle, rare meats, antipasto, slow-cooked meats, charry BBQs, and pizza.
Tech
Harvest: March 30th, 2022
Handling: Handpicked, destemmed to open bins for fermentation
Fermentation/Pressing: Wild ferment for 13 days before basket-pressing to oak
Maturation: Aged in mature French oak for 6 months
Bottled: Unfiltered, unfined, October 2022
Alcohol: 13.6%
Wine Status: Vegan / Organic (uncertified)
Production: 51 dozen
Vineyard: Single vineyard site in the Yallingup sub-region
Soil: Free-draining lateritic soil, sandy gravel over loam.
Planted: 2001
Rainfall: 1100mm
Elevation: 50m
Region: Margaret River
2020 Teroldego 'The Bear'
(pron: te-ROLL-de-go)
Deep, brooding colour. Dark black/redfruits dominate the nose: blackberry, dark plum, raspberry, cherry chocolate. A heady perfume of fragrant rose blossom, mud cake and brambly earth adding to the mix. Hints of cedar/pine and a dusty pencilly oak character – a fruit-derived varietal character rather than any influence from the aged oak in which the wine matured. Hits the high notes with floral tones, and the bass notes with intense fruit concentration.
The palate is structured and firm, textural, fleshy. However whilst acid/tannins are in clear evidence the palate is densely packed and sweet-fruited, showing blackberry, dense plums, cranberry, eastern spice, tar, black cherry and cola. A bold wine, upright and structured, yet approachable in its youth.
Organically produced. Vegan Friendly
Tech
Harvest: March 27th, 2020
Fermentation/Maturation: Open ferment - 20% whole- bunch, daily hand-plunging 15 days on skins. Basket- pressed to aged French oak for 16 months
Bottled: Unfiltered, unfined, September, 2021
Alcohol: 14.2%
Wine Status: Vegan / Organic (uncertified)
Production: 115 dozen
Vineyard: Yallingup, single vineyard
Rainfall: 1100mm
Region: Margaret River
(Image: Brad Wehr - Amato Vino / www.amatovino.com.au)