Cullen Wines
Encyclopedia
Cullen Wines is an Australian wine
ry based in Wilyabrup, within the Margaret River wine region
of Western Australia
.
. The trials were promising, and 17 acres of vineyards were planted in 1971, with the business founded under the name "Willybrup Wines". The first grape vines planted were Cabernet Sauvignon
, Riesling
and Gewürztraminer
.
Kevin Cullen was given the Western Australian "Citizen of the year" for "The Professions" in 1993, and was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994 for "service to medicine" and service "to the wine industry". He died in 1994.
Diana Cullen was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2000 for "service to the development of viticulture and the wine industry". She died in 2003.
Vanya Cullen, the daughter of Diana and Kevin, took over the wine making role in 1989 after graduating from Roseworthy College
with an Oenology
degree in 1986, and is the current managing director and senior winemaker. Prior to undertaking the Oenology degree, in 1982 she graduated from the University of Western Australia
with a degree in zoology
.
Vanya Cullen received the "Australian Winemaker of the Year" award from Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine in 2000 and was voted "Woman of the Year" by UK based wine magazine The Drinks Business in 2008, becoming the first Australian to receive the award.
Cullen Wines has been run according to biodynamic farming
principles since 2003, after having adopted organic
methods in 1998. Cullen Wines was the first winery in Australia to be certified carbon neutral
, starting the process in 2006. Vanya Cullen is on the board of the "Days of Change" program, which aims to help Western Australian people and businesses live and operate in a more sustainable way.
The most well known wine produced by Cullen Wines is the "Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot", It is made of around 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot
and 10% Cabernet Franc
in most vintages. Langton's Classification of Australian Wine placed this wine at their highest level of "Exceptional" in the 2005 classification, and it stayed at this level for the subsequent classification in 2010. It is named in tribute of Diana Cullen, the co-founder of the estate.
From the 2006 vintage, a "Kevin John Chardonnay
" has been produced, which is named as a tribute for the other founder of the estate, Kevin Cullen.
Other red wines produced include a single vineyard
Malbec
, Petit Verdot
and Merlot blend called Mangan, a Pinot noir
and a Cabernet Sauvignoin and Merlot blend called Margaret River Red.
A number of other white wines are also produced, including two single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
-Semillon
blends from the Cullen and Mangan vineyards and a Margaret River White which contains Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and a small amount of Chardonnay.
Australian wine
The Australian Wine Industry is the fourth largest exporter of wine around the world, with 760 million litres a year to a large international export market and contributes $5.5 billion per annum to the nation's economy...
ry based in Wilyabrup, within the Margaret River wine region
Margaret River (wine region)
Margaret River is the foremost Geographical Indication wine region in the South West Australia Zone, with nearly 5,500 hectares under vine and over 138 wineries as at 2008. Margaret River wine region is made up predominately of boutique size wine producers; although winery operations range from the...
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
History
Trial vines were planted on one acre of land by Diana and Kevin Cullen on their Wilyabrup property in 1966 after having read advice and received encouragement from Dr John Gladstones, who believed the Margaret River was ideal for planting vines due to a similarity he saw with the climate and soils of BordeauxBordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
. The trials were promising, and 17 acres of vineyards were planted in 1971, with the business founded under the name "Willybrup Wines". The first grape vines planted were Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
and Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz, and in French it is written '...
.
Kevin Cullen was given the Western Australian "Citizen of the year" for "The Professions" in 1993, and was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994 for "service to medicine" and service "to the wine industry". He died in 1994.
Diana Cullen was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2000 for "service to the development of viticulture and the wine industry". She died in 2003.
Vanya Cullen, the daughter of Diana and Kevin, took over the wine making role in 1989 after graduating from Roseworthy College
Roseworthy College
Roseworthy Agricultural College was an agricultural college in Australia. It is north of Adelaide and west of Roseworthy town. It was the first agricultural college in Australia, established in 1883. It is now part of the University of Adelaide....
with an Oenology
Oenology
Oenology,[p] œnology , or enology is the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking except vine-growing and grape-harvesting, which is a subfield called viticulture. “Viticulture & oenology” is a common designation for training programmes and research centres that include both the...
degree in 1986, and is the current managing director and senior winemaker. Prior to undertaking the Oenology degree, in 1982 she graduated from the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
with a degree in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
.
Vanya Cullen received the "Australian Winemaker of the Year" award from Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine in 2000 and was voted "Woman of the Year" by UK based wine magazine The Drinks Business in 2008, becoming the first Australian to receive the award.
Cullen Wines has been run according to biodynamic farming
Biodynamic wine
Biodynamic wines are wines made using the principles of biodynamic agriculture. Biodynamic refers to both the agricultural methods and the handling and processing of the fruit post-harvest.-Biodynamic viticulture:...
principles since 2003, after having adopted organic
Organic wine
The most widely accepted definition of Organic wine is wine made from grapes grown in accordance with principles of organic farming, which typically excludes the use of artificial chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides....
methods in 1998. Cullen Wines was the first winery in Australia to be certified carbon neutral
Carbon neutral
Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference...
, starting the process in 2006. Vanya Cullen is on the board of the "Days of Change" program, which aims to help Western Australian people and businesses live and operate in a more sustainable way.
Wines
About 20,000 cases of wine are produced each vintage from the 45 hectares of vineyards owned by the winery.The most well known wine produced by Cullen Wines is the "Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot", It is made of around 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
and 10% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
in most vintages. Langton's Classification of Australian Wine placed this wine at their highest level of "Exceptional" in the 2005 classification, and it stayed at this level for the subsequent classification in 2010. It is named in tribute of Diana Cullen, the co-founder of the estate.
From the 2006 vintage, a "Kevin John Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
" has been produced, which is named as a tribute for the other founder of the estate, Kevin Cullen.
Other red wines produced include a single vineyard
Vineyard designated wine
A vineyard designated wine is a wine produced from the product of a single vineyard with that vineyard's name appearing on the wine label. Throughout the history of winemaking and viticulture, the differences in quality between one plot of land and another have been observed with the boundaries of...
Malbec
Malbec
Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are long known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. The French plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in the South West...
, Petit Verdot
Petit verdot
Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen, it is added in small amounts to add tannin, colour and flavour to the...
and Merlot blend called Mangan, a Pinot noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
and a Cabernet Sauvignoin and Merlot blend called Margaret River Red.
A number of other white wines are also produced, including two single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
-Semillon
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.-History:The origin of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 19th century and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent...
blends from the Cullen and Mangan vineyards and a Margaret River White which contains Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and a small amount of Chardonnay.