Monkey Rock Winery is one of only a few independent wineries left in Denmark WA where everything is made on site by owners Kai & Stephanie Watts. They are also the only Award winning craft cideries in the Great Southern, with all of the core range of ciders receiving medals at the Australian Cider Awards.

Their product range has expanded in 2024 to include craft beers brewed onsite in Denmark.

In collaboration with a local winemaker and friend their first vintage was produced in 2004. Over the past 13 years they have been perfecting the process of making wine without the need to add preservatives.

They also produce traditional Italian liqueurs such as Limoncello and Nocino, and some modern liqueurs such as choc orange, all with no added preservatives.

The newest chapter in their story is that their daughter Stephanie, who has been studying and working as a researcher in Perth is returning to manage the Winery and onsite chalets Turicum Chalets in 2018. Along with her a husband Kai, and daughter Indiana, they plan on rejuvenating Monkey Rock Winery and adding an exciting collecting of new ventures.

2019 has seen a mountain of changes, including renovations to the cellar door and the building of their family home next door.

They have also started making Cider, made with no added preservatives from local grown Apples. The future will see an expansion in Cider production as well as continuation in making high quality wine with no added preservatives

Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is the most common preservative used in winemaking. It is also naturally occurs in the fermentation process – which is why the term ‘no added sulphites or preservatives’ is the correct terminology.

There are a few reasons to why we choose not to add any preservatives to our wine:

• Sulphur sensitivity

A small proportion of the population is either allergic or have some form of sensitivity. This means that they usually get some form of allergic reaction such as hives, sinusitis or a rash. Some people can get a headache. If you are sensitive to sulphur you will get this reaction with both red wine and white wine plus many other foods such as dried fruit. For others this headache is sometimes caused by histamines or the tannins – especially when red wine is the culprit.

• Quality

Sulphur sterilises yeast, prevents microbes from growing and helps prevent oxidation. Therefore if you don’t use it you have to make sure you start with a great premium quality grape. You also need to have excellent hygiene.

Why lo-fi?

Lo-fi is a term used to describe a minimal intervention or more ‘natural’ approach. Rather than trying to influence the wine through filtration and additions of oak powder, tannin powders and other finning agents the winemaker embraces the elements of each vintage and each grape and the fermentation process.

As per sulphur many people have allergies to the fining agents used in wine, or due to dietary choices will not consume animal derived products. Because we use top quality grapes and are extremely precise when making our wine, we only use minimal finning. All products used are non-allergenic and non-animal based. We prefer an unaltered natural style of wine. This means that every vintage our wine will taste a little different, depending on the climate and terroir.