Winning trophies at wine shows around Australia generates major marketing opportunities for the wine producer involved. Mandoon Estate on the banks of the Swan River at Middle Swan did not waste any time taking up the trophy challenge with the first of its quality wines being awarded the trophy in 2011 for Mandoon’s 2010 Old Vine Shiraz and there were more to follow with its wines winning 20 trophies in three years, an outstanding achievement.
Principal Allan Erceg migrated from his native Croatia in 1959 with the family inspired to buy into the Swan by the big local Croatian community and a love of wine from homeland roots.
Mandoon is a place of history, the name adopted from the Aboriginal Place of Trees. It dates back to 1827 when identified by Swan River Colony pioneer Captain Jame’s Stirling and once part of Queen Victoria’s 1840 500 hectare land grant to the Colony’s first Surveyor General John Septimus Roe on which he established neighbouring icon Sandalford Wines.
Mandoon includes 100 year old vines while it sources other prime fruit from around the State’s main growing areas including Margaret River. In WA Allan became a property developer spending $12 million dollars on the estate with another $20 million budgeted for new winery expansion, new cellar door facilities and restaurants.
Beside fine wines Mandoon produces a range of craft beers and ciders while the massive facility caters for thousands of wine tasting tourists annually as well as having rooms for conferences, meetings, weddings and entertainment.
Today Allan Erceg and his family can look back to an uninspiring start when the family home was a storage shed. Now it proudly offers the best produce to match any such industry facility in the country.