1678 Scotsdale Road, Denmark
Ph: (08) 9840 9844
www.duckettsmillwines.com.au
Artisan dining with heart
Josh and Gemma Gilmour were looking for a great place to raise their son, so in 2025, they moved from Perth to Denmark in Western Australia’s beautiful Great Southern. Here they bought Denmark Farmhouse Cheese and Duckett’s Mill Wines, an award-winning artisan cheese and winemaking business complete with cellar door, retail outlet and restaurant style dining.
I asked Josh, whose previous occupation was a freelance photographer, what possessed him to make such a career change. Josh knows his way around a kitchen or two with both of his parents being chefs, so food preparation is in his blood. Another deciding factor was that they would inherit an experienced team to assist with the transition. Jack Stock, the son of the previous cheesemaker and Ben Lewis, the son of the original owner have stayed on to impart the art of transforming high quality milk from the neighbouring Hick’s Dairy, into outstanding varieties of cheese. In 2025, Denmark Farmhouse Cheese won the Dairy Industry Association of Australia WA Trophy for Most Successful Exhibitor.
Vineyard manager Jason has also stayed on to manage the grapes grown on-site to ensure the best viable grape and tending to the vineyard. His knowledge is vital and highly regarded. Whilst 90% of the grapes used for Duckett’s Mill Wines are grown on-site, the remaining 10% are sourced from nearby Frankland River with help from renowned viticulturist Glen Harding. Turning all of these grapes into awarding-winning wine happens with further collaboration from James Kellie, owner and winemaker at the multi-award-winning Harewood Estate.
Teamwork, their parents and local collaborations are integral to the ongoing success of Josh and Gemma’s business venture. Josh is hands-on in cheese making, and assists with grape selection and vineyard management while he learns from the experts. Gemma runs the financials, staff rostering, creates cheese cakes, works in the kitchen and has her hand in FOH. She also turns out punchy condiments and relishes for the ploughman’s boards. Josh and Gemma are lucky to have such dedicated staff.
The Scotsdale property also comes with historic buildings that constantly need attention. When I asked Josh what he was looking forward to the most, he jokingly replied “a day off”. They also have plans to upgrade the existing facilities to improve customer experience.
We made our way to the combined cellar door and retail area where a good stock of wine, along with cured meats, sausages and various condiments were on offer, as well as the intoxicating aroma of freshly barista made coffee. By this stage, our taste buds were hollering for attention. Front of House staff member Lauren, suggested choosing one of the Ploughman’s Platters on offer and that we choose four wines, and they would choose the cheeses to match. We chose the 2024 Duckett’s Mill Wooded Chardonnay, 2025 Duckett’s Mill Rosé, 2023 Duckett’s Mill Shiraz and 2023 Duckett’s Mill Frankland River Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our Vineyard Ploughman’s Platter arrived with seven cheeses, namely Feta, Jalapeno Havarti, Chilli Gouda, Stix River Swiss, a soft blue cheese Crem Dal Blu, Maude’s Triple Cream Camembert and a Sundried Tomato Fromage.
Accompanying the cheese on the plentiful platter were several charcuterie meats from Barossa Fine Foods and Mondo Doro Smallgoods, pickled onions, dill pickles, capers, strawberries, freshly sliced apple and pear, three types of olives, Gemma’s delicious cauliflower pickle, dukkha, a sliced sourdough loaf and crispbread, and a serving of leafy salad.
Every cheese was outstanding with several gold medal winners on offer, but it is worth mentioning the indulgent creaminess of Maude’s Triple Cream Camembert, the great chilli hit of the Havarti and the savoury Fromage spread on fresh sourdough with some salty smoked meat. Each individual element of the platter was worthy in its own right, while the cheese matching to the wine was perfect.
The venue provides a more extensive menu including wine and cheese tasting, gourmet sandwiches, toasties and cakes. There is also a Kid’s Menu for the little tackers.
By Chris O’Halloran
