Cherubino
The roots for Cherubino were laid in 2004 when Larry and Edwina Cherubino bought land in the Frankland River sub region of the Great Southern, Australia’s largest wine region by sheer geography. A small parcel, originally part of a large, historic holding called Riversdale, our dream then was simply to plant our own vineyard.
A lot has happened since then. An opportunity to buy the neighbouring property, with acres of prime river and vineyard country, enlarged their vision. Frankland River in some sense is the soul of Cherubino, where it all began. For Edwina, a fourth generation West Australian, it’s where her family the Egerton-Warburton’s migrated to from England, in the mid 1800’s. They planted the first vines on the banks of the river back in 1875.
Larry is a first generation Australian. Like many from the great Italian migration, winemaking has always been something he has known, pressing grapes on the farms or in the backyards of his own family in Siderno. There’s a tradition of families making wine for families. Cherubino is perhaps that on a much larger scale.
Viticulture in Western Australia is still relatively young, despite Houghton having an almost 200-year history. The Great Southern region was spotlighted as having potential in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until 1965 that Forest Hill pioneered the modern Great Southern with plantings at Mount Barker. Two years later Justin Roche and Dr. Tom Cullity of Vasse Felix shared cuttings for their respective vineyards in Frankland and Margaret Rivers. Excitement about the latter areas only began to grow in the 1970s and 80s.
Larry and Edwina's journey is entwined with wine. They met in 1994, the year Larry started my work in wine. While he has been head winemaker at Houghton and a travelling consultant designing vineyards and wineries - work that took him overseas to New Zealand, USA, France, Italy and South Africa - it ultimately brought them home to Western Australia. From that dream of a vineyard of their own, Cherubino now has a winemaking foothold in the Great Southern, Pemberton and the world-famous Margaret River.
Looking to the future, they are at the forefront of spreading the word about their diverse regions, and contributing to how wines are seen from their corner of the world. Innovation across their vineyards is key, with the import and propagation of new clonal plantings, and an eye on sustainability.
Vineyards that remain long after they are gone will be a legacy that respects their past, present and future.