Our Story

In 1980 the Driftwood property was purchased by Tom and Helen Galopoulos. They wanted a home-away-from-home where their boys could get their hands dirty, explore the bush and roam the beaches. The site wasn’t much to look at, and there wasn’t a vine in site. 

But Tom’s family had been making and drinking wine for generations. His grandfather grew vines in their home of northern Greece, and some of Tom’s earliest memories are of picking grapes on his farm as a wide-eyed kid.

That early connection to the land, an unrelenting work ethic, and the lifestyle of a vineyard, never really left Tom – and Helen had a keen desire to enjoy the country life with her family.

So, the vines were planted in 1989, and a family walk on the beach one afternoon saw a young Peter pick up a piece of driftwood at Quininup beach.

It was one of the inaugural wines, a 1993 Semillon, that first drew attention to Driftwood and marked the beginning of our journey in the wine industry.

We quickly earned recognition, with top Australian wine writer James Halliday recognising Driftwood as one of the leading wineries in the Margaret River region.

Most recently, we were thrilled to receive a Gold Medal at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards for our 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Silver Medal at the 2023 International Wine Challenge for our 2020 Chardonnay, celebrating the quality and craftsmanship behind every bottle we make.

We are looking forward to the next chapter at Driftwood. Soon, a family restaurant will be opening at Cellar Door, and we cannot wait to open our Cellar Door and refreshed event spaces for weddings, private functions and music performances soon.

Since 2018 Driftwood has maintained a five-star winery Halliday Wine Companion status.