Sarah Morris
LAND OF PLENTY
Sarah Morris isn’t one for job titles. At her acclaimed Margaret River winery, she’s involved in every part of the process, from tending vines to crafting lo-fi wines and everything in between.
For Sarah, wine is very much the byproduct of years of care and attention in the vineyard. A first-generation grower and winemaker, Sarah is one half of Si Vintners, the other half being her husband Iwo Jakimowicz. Together, they’re helping to lead a new wave of winemaking in the celebrated Margaret River region and striving to leave their precious piece of land in a better way than they found it.
Minimal interventionist
Sarah got more than she bargained for while studying winemaking at a Perth university – it’s where she met her future husband and business partner, Iwo Jakimowicz. The pair spent years travelling Australia and the world to gain experience, eventually landing in Spain where they lived and worked as winemakers for eight years.
They followed the harvest season from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere and back – something they continue to do to this day. But eventually they made Margaret River their full-time home, close to their families.
With dreams of owning their own vineyard and winery, Sarah and Iwo chanced upon a property for sale in 2010 in the picturesque area of Rosa Glen. They couldn’t believe their luck, and today it’s the home of their thriving vineyard and acclaimed label, Si Vintners. Through their minimal-intervention wines, the couple have built a following of fans.
For Sarah, it’s all about caring for the land and creating wines that honestly reflects their patch of dirt.
“Our priority was to respect the land,” says Sarah. “From the day we walked onto here, not a chemical has been used anywhere. For us it was a natural transition; that’s the way we grew our vegetable garden, that’s the way I want my children to eat.
“We want to show exactly what comes from this vineyard, and there’s good years and there are years that are tough. It’s about ensuring that the truth of what has happened on the land is in the bottle.”
Sarah takes a holistic view, with wine just one component of an entire ecosystem built around their prized block of land.
“This place is not just about making wine,” she says. “It’s about the whole cycle. It’s food, it’s family, it’s the integration of all those concepts. And then if you can translate that into the product that the consumer gets to see, then job done.”
“We want to show exactly what comes from this vineyard. It’s about ensuring that the truth of what has happened on the land is in the bottle.” – Sarah Morris
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