There’s a gamble that viticulturists and winemakers take each vintage – they have to adapt to the conditions that unfold and play the hand they are dealt. That’s where House of Cards winery drew the inspiration for its name.It is the artisan label of Travis and Elizabeth Wray and their young family, who grow and make wines from their Southern Cross Certified Organic 12 hectare vineyard in Yallingup, in the northern pocket of the Margaret River Wine Region.
“We have a young family and my goal is to hopefully leave our farmland in better condition than we received it. Hopefully they can improve on it again,” explains Travis.
Travis, a winemaker, has a wealth of experience, having completed 22 vintages in Margaret River. Prior to House of Cards, he worked locally with Amberley, Vasse Felix, Fermoy Estate, and internationally at Waiemea Estate, New Zealand and Sumac Ridge, Canada.
House of Cards works with classic Margaret River grape varietals; cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, merlot, malbec, petit verdot, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc.
“Being Certified Organic is definitely what we are most proud of, and it’s all the small projects that allow us to be operational and still produce fruit quality at a high level,” Travis says.
Determined to be as sustainable as possible, House of Cards viticulture program includes initiatives such as creating estate-made compost from grape matter remains after pressing, enriched with food-waste from neighbouring restaurant, Chow’s Table.
“We create our own compost from grape marc. This, combined with our chicken manure and worm compost from Chows table leftovers, creates an amazing soil addition enriching our vineyard in spring. We do this every year and it is one of the key components of our organic and sustainable farming.”
The dynamic team are constantly trying new winemaking techniques and fermentation vessels to elevate their wines, including large format oak and concrete.
The organic certified vines and creative winemaking are resonating with the critics, with House of Cards being awarded ‘Best in Show’ at the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards for the 2022 ‘High Ace’ Chardonnay, and ‘Producer of the Year’ at the 2024 International Wine and Spirit Challenge for the 2023 vintage of this wine.
Perhaps, an unexpected high honour was the ‘High Ace’ name being flagged by the team behind US rapper Jay Z and his Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades champagne.
“Even though we had prior use in Australia, and after months of back and forth with lawyers, his people agreed we could use the word ‘Ace High’… he must have felt threatened!” laughs Travis.
The team also point out that Margaret River’s House of Cards existed before the television show.
Small region, artisan producer, epic reputation!
Discover more about House of Cards on their website.