BASKERVILLE Wines has been sold and the new owners are looking at expanding the Swan Valley property to include accommodation.
New owners and managers Geoffrey and Polly Hashman, who bought the property in October, said long-term plans for Baskerville could include on-site chalets to accommodate guests at some of the large functions hosted by the winery and restaurant.
The Hashmans took over Baskerville just before Spring in the Valley and have since been busy with functions organised by the previous owner.
“We moved in a week before Spring in the Valley and recently had a big wedding here, so we’ve been very busy,” Mr Hashman says.
“At this stage we’re just discussing the possibility of adding some chalets to the property.
“We noticed that after the wedding a lot of the guests had a long way to travel home, so we thought it would be a great idea to have somewhere to accommodate them on the property, but no plans have been drawn up yet.”
Shorter-term plans at Baskerville include extending restaurant trading hours on Thursdays and Fridays, as well as looking into licence changes, something Mr Hashman says requires some homework.
“We’d like to get a full licence here but I’ll need to talk to my neighbours first and check this out a bit more.”
• • •
Alex Hudak has left his position at Harborne & Cambridge Cellars.
After much consideration Mr Hudak says he decided to leave as the current owners did not share the same vision for the Australian fine wine market or the running of a fine wine store.
“I will still be very active in the industry and will be on the look out for any exciting new ventures that I can get involved in.”
• • •
Howard Park was awarded a gold medal for its 2003 Best Barrels Merlot at the 2004 Margaret River Wine Show.
The annual competition aims to give a snapshot of wines produced in the Margaret River Geo-graphical Indication, and was judged this year by Brian Croser, Tim White, Stephen Pannell and Louisa Rose.
