Last week we launched The Way It Was by Peter Forrestal and Ray Jordan at Lamonts, Cottesloe. Here are some words from John Jens and Matthew Pavlic who launched the book.

“Margaret River is one of the great 16’s. There’s no question at all, the wines are getting better all of the time. Now Forrie and Ray Jordan have put in a massive amount of time and effort into putting this book together. They’ve gone down far more tunnels and researched far more things than I ever realised in the first place. And I congratulate them for it.” - John Jens

“When I first received the copy of the book, at 2 o’clock in the morning I was still reading it. I couldn’t put it down. And it was the same the next day too. It’s brilliantly written, I reckon the facts are fantastic. I reckon its absolutely fabulous.” - John Jens

“At the heart of it, this book is about people and really what drove them. What drove them to seek an industry that didn’t exist, and what drove them to start something from scratch and become pioneers. They proved that making wine in our South West could actually be done. It never was achieved before this point. Notably, this book is also about failure, about hard work. I can certainty relate to both of those. The Way it Was is a reminder on what it takes to become successful.” - Matthew Pavlich

“Life, as I have learned, it as much about consistency as it is about intensity. What struck me about this book is that it’s about seeking the truth. As a former athlete who’s individual and team performances were constantly scrutinised and evaluated… I am acutely aware of how events can be exaggerated from time to time. Factual evidence is often scattered with inaccuracies… So to see the detail and the level research that these two authors have gone through to fully understand what occurred is very commendable and certainly gives a very accurate and true view on what happened in the region.” - Matthew Pavlich