About Us
History
Flowstone is born from a culmination of Stuart Pym’s rich winemaking experience and Phil Giglia’s passion for great wine.
Stuart’s winemaking career commenced more than 30 years ago when he moved to Margaret River to help his parents produce with their new wine label Sussex Vale. This vineyard has since become the well-respected Hayshed Hill. His winemaking experience includes some of Margaret River’s best loved names including Voyager Estate (1991-2000), Devil’s Lair (2000-2008) and Stella Bella (2008-2013). Stuart also worked at Matilda Bay Brewing Company during the peak of their success in the late ’80s and was responsible for several vintages abroad and on Australia’s east coast. With his partner Janice, Stuart started Suckfizzle in 1996 and Stella Bella in 1999. In 2013 he handed over the Stella Bella winemaking reins and moved to Flowstone in a permanent capacity, completing the 30-year family involvement in winemaking.
Stuart and Phil first met, appropriately, at a Margaret River Great Estates lunch in the late ’90s where a joint passion for wine and a firm friendship was born. Ten years later they created Flowstone and the first vines were planted in 2004. While studying at the University of Western Australia, Phil was introduced to the University Wine Club and his love for the drop began. Work at the George Street Cellars in the late 1980s gave him an appreciation for the breadth of world wine and the myriad of styles and stories it contains. It also enabled him to be in close range of the bottles he would never be able to afford! Phil is now a confirmed wine tragic – which is not a bad thing at all.
Philosophy
We draw on experience to guide our judgement and have a hands-on approach to winemaking. Being a small vineyard allows us to have an intimate knowledge of our vines, our land, and our production.
Vision
Small is good at Flowstone. We aim to keep our vineyard and range to their current size and continue to strive for excellence in the wines we produce.
We will continue to push the boundaries with our wine styles and varieties to excite people who are as interested and passionate about wine as we are and love to discover new varieties. We love our beautiful part of the world and living on the land – learning from it and appreciating the connection between our vineyards and what lies beneath the soil and how all the elements work together to create our beautiful wines.
Our label tells the Flowstone story. The two flowing brushstrokes represent the Margaret River horizon, and the flows of water through both landscapes. The solid grey brushstroke which appears on all labels represents the cave landscape, and the coloured brushstroke conveys our vineyard landscapes and our wine varieties. The reflection of the Flowstone name is inspired by the stunning reflection found in Lake Cave – the Queen of the Earth. All labels are printed on a limestone based label stock, which is 81% limestone with no wood fibre or pulp.