Iwo Jakimowicz
Wild One
Part of Margaret River’s exciting new generation of creative winemakers, Iwo Jakimowicz crafts unique wines using lo-fi techniques, evolving his approach from rogue to refined.
Iwo and his wife Sarah started their label, Si Vintners, in a friend’s shearing shed in 2006, and four years later bought land in an idyllic area neighbouring a forest. They took what they’d learnt from traditional Spanish growers and winemakers and put their own spin on things. Iwo ferments wine in concrete eggs and isn’t afraid to let the ups and downs of each growing season shine through in the bottle.
Natural evolution
Born in Poland, Iwo grew up in Perth and fell in love with nearby Margaret River for its relaxed lifestyle and surf culture. It’s why Iwo got into winemaking – he enrolled in an oenology degree because it involved work experience in Margaret River, and he quickly discovered he’d found he’d calling.
Iwo also met his now wife, Sarah Morris, at university, and after graduating they travelled the world to make wine and hone their craft. They worked vintages in Italy and Switzerland and spent eight years in Spain as flying winemakers.
Part of Margaret River’s exciting new generation of creative winemakers, Iwo Jakimowicz crafts unique wines using lo-fi techniques, evolving his approach from rogue to refined.
“We worked in a very traditional village,” says Iwo. “The older winemakers are making wine the way their grandfathers did. And we got really interested and intrigued by that.”
The couple split their time between hemispheres, travelling back to Margaret River each harvest season. And eventually the time came to make their own wines under their own names.
“From the minute we started Si Vintners and got our farm, it’s been as hands-off as possible,” says Iwo. “The whole idea is the healthier we can make our farm and the soil, the healthier the vines will be, the healthier and better our grapes will be, the healthier and better our wine will be.”
Their approach is paying off, with their wines – including Chardonnay, Semillon and Cabernet Sauvignon – showing up on high-profile wine lists around Australia. Iwo and Sarah’s hands-off approach applies in the winery too, where wines are fermented in big concrete eggs, many are unfiltered, and nothing is added aside from a little sulphite.
“The way we’ve experimented over the years is being really wild and letting everything take place naturally,” says Iwo. “And we’re still doing that. But we’ve been a bit rogue in the past and now we’re refining everything.”
"The healthier we can make our farm and the soil, the healthier the vines will be, and the better our grapes and wine will be." – Iwo Jakimowicz
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