Get To Know Kathryn, Our Cellar Door Manager

We welcomed a new Cellar Door Manager to the team in January this year and if you’ve visited us recently, you may have had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Kathryn. We are thrilled to have her on board and to have access to her vast knowledge and passion for the Great Southern region and our wines.

Get to know Kathryn below and be sure to pop into our cellar door to say hello soon!

Can you tell us a bit about your background in the industry?

I have always aspired to work in the wine industry. From a young (legal wine drinking) age, I developed a love of fine wine, and have since hosted several informal wine tours around the Swan Valley and enjoyed many wine dinners at home with friends and family.

In 2018, I moved to the Great Southern Region with my young family from Perth to immerse myself in the bounties this amazing region has to offer.

In 2020, I took on a role in the Tourism Industry, working with a number of local wineries and tourism businesses to promote and develop our local area. Coupled with my passion for quality wine, this role led to my employment as Cellar Door Manager at the best winery in Western Australia.  My heart has always been in the Wine Industry – now I can officially claim my place!

What drew you to the Great Southern region?

My husband and I spent many years (pre-children) enjoying the Porongurup wine festival every March and loved everything about the Great Southern Region – the stunning mountain landscape, the spectacular coast, the communities, the opportunities and the potential. We eventually made the decision to relocate to Mount Barker and set ourselves up on the most beautiful property, which we now call home.

Do you have a favourite memory from working in the Great Southern?

I don’t have a single favourite memory -the past six years have been wonderful and there hasn’t been a day when I haven’t enjoyed working in this amazing place.

What excites you most about your new role as Cellar Door Manager?

Having worked in tourism for 4 years prior to this role, I’ve had the chance to identify business opportunities and niche markets, and working with the highly skilled and motivated Plantagenet Wine team to develop a strategic plan to elevate our position is exciting. Plantagenet Wines has an iconic story in the West Australian wine industry, creates award winning wines and has the cellar door has the potential to become a leading tourist destination!

How would you describe the experience guests can expect when they visit Plantagenet?

Our Cellar Door is the oldest cellar door in the Great Southern and, along with the beautiful gardens, our lovely cellar door building is warm and inviting. From the minute our customers arrive, they can expect the “royal treatment” – beautiful wines to taste, delicious local produce to enjoy, intriguing historic stories of the Plantagenet House, the development of the local wine region and the heritage of our iconic business, and of course, excellent customer service.

Are there any new experiences you’re looking forward to introducing?

Our region is not only the home to beautiful wines, but also delicious local produce including meats, olive oils, fruit and so much more. We are working on developing new experiences that unite both wine and food and transport guests to a new level of appreciation for the region.

Bringing our local heritage into the tasting experience will also be introduced, offering guests the opportunity to develop a deeper connection to our history.

What’s your go-to Plantagenet wine, and why?

This is a hard question for me as I love all the Plantagenet wines. I am a firm believer in choosing the right wine for the right occasion, and all our wines are beautifully crafted. When matched with the right food, they each create a stunning gastronomic experience. If I had to pick one wine to drink on a regular basis, it would probably be the Lancaster Shiraz. I love the aromatics of the wine, the colour, and of course, the taste of the wine itself. It matches perfectly with my favourite cuisine, which is Italian, in particular, pan fried cacciatore sausage with antipasto, fresh sourdough bread, olive oil and cheese. Yum!

If you could share a bottle of wine with anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?

I would choose to drink a bottle of wine with my partner, Steve. We have spent almost 20 years together discovering new wines and enjoying our favourites from across WA. We’ve taken wine tours, visited MANY wineries and enjoyed some great events. He’s a great human and I love sharing time (and wine!) with him!

When you’re not at the cellar door, where can we find you?

Ideally, you’d find me in my garden or out in nature somewhere, maybe hiking in the Porongurups. However, in reality, you’re more likely to find me in my car driving my children around to sports and music lessons!

What’s a fun fact about you that people might not expect?

I was trained to be a musician and educator at the University of Western Australia. I have been playing the oboe for 32 years and have played professionally and in community orchestras. Since moving to the Great Southern, I have also taken on the role of freelance Orchestra Conductor with the local community orchestra, Albany Sinfonia. I’ll be performing with the orchestra at the Albany Entertainment Centre this May!

Visit our cellar door in Mount Barker for a wine tasting and a platter. We hope to see you soon!