"Churchview Estate gets its name from the heritage listed St Johns Anglican Church which can be seen from the tasting room.This little church would have been the focus of the community in the early days, and it would have seen quite a few Group Settlement weddings."
In much earlier days the old farm at Churchview was home to Group Settlers when the land was first opened up to white settlement in the early 1920s. The aim of the Group Settlement Scheme, was to establish a dairy industry in the South West to supply the growing population of Perth. The Great Depression descended soon after the start of the scheme, adding to the hardships faced by the settlers, and many eventually walked off their land. However, much of today’s cleared farmland is the result of their labour.
In 1999, father and son, Spike and Raymond Fokkema, established Church view and built it up from the ground. The property was selected for its ideal and fertile gravelly loam soils, ample clean water and north facing slopes. The 100ha estate has over the early years, accumulated a total of 56ha of vines, growing 16 different varieties.
Churchview pride themselves on cultivating, crafting and cherishing the land, the grapes and the wines. As stewards of the land, Churchview has worked hard to transform the conventionally operated farm, to a fully organically operated vineyard. After 15 years Churchview gained the certification in 2020.
Our Winemaker - Kyle Huizenga
Having grown up in the Southwest of Western Australia, Kyle was always surrounded by the vines of the Margaret River Region. His journey in the industry began at the end of 2017, when he took up a cellar hand job at a winery in Margaret River. Since then, he has had a steady rise through the ranks, working under and alongside numerous experienced winemakers and slowly forging his style and identity.
In 2022 he was handed the keys to that very same winery, Churchview Estate, and now works closely alongside Ray Fokkema, the vineyard and winery manager under the philosophy of “Cultivating, Crafting and Cherishing”. Cultivating the land organically and doing everything to leave it better than the year before. Crafting the fruit into wine, respecting each variety, and working to its strengths, aiming to create wines with character, personality, and a sense of place. Cherishing all the hard work, the blood, the sweat, and the tears that go into everything we do.
With 16 different grape varieties grown at Churchview, Kyle always has something to keep him busy and loves the challenge of maximizing the potential of each batch that comes into the winery.
