Story about: Sandy Hallett, Vigneron, Great Southern

Sandy Hallett grew with Alkoomi vineyard and winery and today has stepped into her Dad Merv's shoes as the owner and Managing Director of Alkoomi.
 
Mum and Dad, Merv and Judy Lange, chose as their logo the unique Australian grass tree, Xanthorrhoea preissii, which has come to represent Alkoomi's premium wines made from classic cool climate grape varieties grown in the pristine environment of the coolest wine region in Western Australia.

In fact, it is so cool that it's not uncommon for electric blankets to be ripped off beds to wrap around fermentation tanks or office heaters placed under tanks, helping the fermentation process along.
 
And then there's the terroir!  The free draining gravelly loam soils are ideally suited to producing premium wines from classic grape varieties.  At Alkoomi it's not uncommon to be picking in May "just days away from the official start of winter" allowing the grapes to develop delicate varietal intensity and complexity on the vine.
 
All this has ensured Alkoomi wines continue to receive worldwide acclaim.

Proprietors Sandy and Rod Hallett, continue the tradition started by Sandy’s father and mother, Merv and Judy Lange in 1971, of producing some Australia’s finest cool climate wines from the family owned Alkoomi vineyards and winery.

The name Alkoomi is taken from a local aboriginal dialect and translated means "a place we chose".

The Alkoomi logo is a stylised representation of an Australian grass tree which grows in the area.

Alkoomi’s red wines enjoyed success early on and Alkoomi has continued to produce elegant cabernet, Shiraz and Cabernet blends. The quality of Alkoomi Riesling has helped establish the reputation of Frankland River as one of the best areas for this variety in Australia and the Sauvignon Blanc is also regarded as one of the best in the country.

The consistently superb varietal flavours across a wide range of Alkoomi wines have been recognised by the doyen of Australian wine writers, James Halliday, awarding Alkoomi a five star rating in every edition of his “Australian Wine Companion”.

Alkoomi’s annual production of about 80,000 cases is distributed to all parts of Australia and is exported approximately twenty countries in Europe, North America and Asia.