Full bottle on hunting, gathering

A love of travel and passion for wine was the perfect recipe for Mij Patterson and Liv Maiorana’s newest business venture.

South By South West is the Margaret River couple’s small-batch artisan winemaking business, which launched earlier this year to make its mark in the South West’s wine region. Ms Patterson and Ms Maiorana buy fruit from local vineyards and use traditional and contemporary methods to make their wine.

With their 2017 vintage bottled last week, the women said their product was inspired by working on vintages around the world.

“Not having a vineyard allows us to go hunting and gathering,” Ms Patterson said. “It forces us to go on road trips, meet new people, and see what is out in these beautiful regions.

“We are a small batch, but it means we can always seem to find what we want, often coming from just one tonne of fruit from a chosen vineyard.”

The women run other businesses — Ms Patterson is a graphic designer while Ms Maiorana works as an engineering consultant.

Their jobs complement their new endeavour, with Ms Maiorana saying respect for the land was the main objective.

“We want to excite and inspire people to enjoy and respect the terroir of the South West,” she said. “It’s important to us that we can explain the origins of our wine and why we have created that style.”

South By South West will appear at this year’s Gourmet Escape, showcasing their 2017 vintage at the Gourmet Village.

For more information, visit southbysouthwest.com.au.