Quirinus is of Dutch farmers descent, which can be traced back to the 16th century. He became an orthopaedic surgeon, however the call of the land was in his blood and his aim was always to buy a farm one day. He worked hard to realise his dream and bought several lots of land over the past twenty five years. He first imported Gelbvieh cattle from Germany and began breeding them successfully as well as the French Limousin cows. He won the Perth Royal Show Supreme Interbreed championship in 1994 with both breeds.
The vineyard was first established in 1994. He chose a sunny, but protected hillside, well drained, with good loamy soils, from where you can see the Indian Ocean and the city of Bunbury in the distance and first planted his two preferred wine varieties: Shiraz and Semillon. The first yields were sold to bigger wineries as Quirinus concentrated more on his cattle breeding.
Anita is a teacher by profession, and has taken the vineyard under her wing. She enjoys pruning and Vineyard management. It is important to her to limit the use of treatments and fertiliser to keep the soil in balance for the future.
She says that it is just like having a bigger garden! Quirinus was seduced by his French wife’s enthusiasm for food and wine and has since become a dedicated wine producer.
Top:
Anita, Quirinus, Mhairi & Quintus.
Lower: A typical rural scene on our property
