Sideways Stories

  • Swan Valley Wines: Aromas, Flavours and Identity

    Swan Valley Wines: Aromas, Flavours and Identity

    The signature notes found in Swan Valley wines Wines from the Swan Valley are immediately recognisable for their open, expressive character. This is not a region that hides behind sharp acidity or restrained aromatics. Instead, Swan Valley wines speak clearly, often from the very first swirl of the glass. The notes commonly found here are

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  • Corporate Wine Tours in Perth: The Experience Your Team Will Actually Remember

    Corporate Wine Tours in Perth: The Experience Your Team Will Actually Remember

    Introducing the Aroma & Memory Masterclass by Sideways Tours Most corporate events are easy to organise… and easy to forget. A lunch. A cocktail night. A room full of small talk.Everyone is polite, people smile, and then Monday comes back — and nothing really stays. At Sideways Tours, I wanted to offer something different.Something that

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  • The Beauty of Not Knowing in Wine Tasting

    The Beauty of Not Knowing in Wine Tasting

    When Knowledge Steps Aside In wine tasting, knowledge is often seen as an advantage. Knowing the region. The grape. The vintage. The winemaker’s reputation. Yet, paradoxically, knowledge can sometimes stand between you and the wine. At Sideways Tours, we often observe the same moment: when guests stop searching for the “right answer” and simply taste,

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  • Swan Valley Sensory Wine Experience

    Swan Valley Sensory Wine Experience

    Under the Jacaranda: Where Tasting Begins Under the shade of a jacaranda tree, the tour begins — not with a glass, but with a breath. In Swan Valley, before we speak of wine, we take time to listen with the nose. On a wooden table, small aroma vials are waiting: stone fruit, dry herbs, floral

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  • Aroma Secrets: How the Nose Defines Wine

    Aroma Secrets: How the Nose Defines Wine

    The First Gateway Smell, Memory and Emotion Nose Training, How Recognising Aromas Changes the Wine ExperienceSmell is the first gateway into wine. Before structure, tannins or acidity, we encounter aroma and with it, memory and emotion. During a Private Tasting Sensory Experience in the Swan Valley, nose training is less about learning a list of

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  • Traditional Method: The Art of the Bubble

    Traditional Method: The Art of the Bubble

    Discover the Traditional Method: a secondary fermentation process in the bottle that creates the finesse and complexity of world-class sparkling wines. A Two-Stage Birth Unlike still wines, the traditional method relies on a double fermentation. After the initial juice is transformed into a base wine, a “liqueur de tirage” (sugar and yeast) is added before bottling. This

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  • WA’s Mediterranean Varieties Explained

    WA’s Mediterranean Varieties Explained

    WA’s Mediterranean wine varieties with tasting tips, food pairings and local insights. Explore Fiano, Vermentino, Tempranillo and more. Western Australia’s Warm sunshine, long dry seasons and cooling coastal breezes create the ideal conditions for Mediterranean grape varieties. These sun-loving grapes thrive particularly well in regions like Swan Valley, Bickley Valley and the wider Perth Hills. They are generous,

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  • Swan Valley vs Bickley A wine lover guide

    Swan Valley vs Bickley A wine lover guide

    Two valleys on Perth’s doorstep, two very different moods. One is sun-splashed and historic, with generous textures and a proud fortified tradition. The other curls through orchard-lined hills where elevation freshens Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling bases. Choosing between them isn’t about better or worse; it’s about the day you want—open-road ease or leafy intimacy,

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  • The Chenin Revival in Swan Valley

    The Chenin Revival in Swan Valley

    Why Chenin Blanc thrives in warm, maritime conditions is zesty acidity, texture options, and perfect seafood pairings. Introduction Crisp, versatile and dependable, Chenin Blanc ripens generously while holding a mouth‑watering line of acidity. In warm sites moderated by afternoon breezes, it shows citrus and orchard fruit at low alcohols, or creamy, honeyed depth when raised

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  • The Wines of Sideways: Myths, and a Legacy

    The Wines of Sideways: Myths, and a Legacy

     A clear, modern guide to the wines behind Sideways: why Pinot Noir stole the show, what the “no Merlot” line really meant, and how to taste like the film, wherever you are. Why this film still matters for wine lovers When Sideways hit cinemas in 2004, it made wine feel intimate and a little chaotic,

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