Bart Molony
Green Grower
Bart Molony is Chief Viticulturist at one of Margaret River’s top wineries, where he’s brought new life to the vines through a more organic approach.
Introducing “chaos” into the vineyard might not sound like a good thing, but at Vasse Felix, Bart has increased diversity of life among the vines to support organic viticulture. It’s a relatively new way of farming for Vasse Felix and Bart believes it’s an important part of crafting authentic wines that express the place where they were made.
Natural talent
Originally from Victoria, Bart found his calling in wine by knocking on the door of local wineries until someone said yes. He was hooked from day one and went on to work vintages in his home state as well as in Croatia and Germany.
In the late 1990s, Bart headed west to the celebrated Margaret River wine region. Having now completed around 20 vintages, it’s safe to say he knows the region well.
“There are a lot of things I like about Margaret River,” he says. “You have the ocean, beautiful trees, sunsets and these wonderful summers. We have cool nights in summer, and you can sleep all the way through the year with a blanket on.”
As Chief Viticulturist at Vasse Felix, Bart is responsible for delivering the top-quality fruit that goes into premium wines. He joined the acclaimed winery in 2004 and has played a key role in expanding existing vineyards and adding to the collection with new vineyards. Vasse Felix now has four vineyards across the region. In 2011, Bart was awarded the Margaret River Wine Industry Association’s Viti Excellence Award.
A big believer in sustainable viticulture, he has led Vasse Felix’s transition to organic vineyards over the past few years.
“I think if we’re interfering less or manipulating less in the vineyard, we’re getting wines that are more reflective of where they’re grown,” says Bart. “We’re just here to guide that process and to ensure that our vineyards can still be here in a hundred years.”
A major focus for Bart has been encouraging new life among the vines.
“We grow vines but then we look at all the other space we have as a blank canvas for bringing in diversity,” he says. “The more chaos we can have in that space, we think, the better the system will be.
“We try to deliver something that is true to the land where it’s grown and to the people that make it happen.”
“We try to deliver something that is true to the land where it’s grown and to the people that make it happen.”
– Bart Molony
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