Houghton Winery
Encyclopedia
Houghton Winery is one of the earliest established vineyard
s and wineries
in Western Australia
. It is situated on Great Northern Highway
in the Swan Valley near Upper Swan
.
The 50 hectares of vineyards surrounding the Swan Valley winery consist of plantings of Verdelho
, Chardonnay
, Semillon
and Chenin Blanc
. Early documentation and current research suggests the first vines were planted between 1830 and 1836.
In addition Houghton operates four of Western Australia's largest vineyards at Moondah Brook (145 hectares), Pemberton
(92 hectares), Mount Barker
(74 hectares) and Frankland River (89 hectares), along with sourcing fruit from Margaret River
, Harvey
and the Ferguson Valley.
Expansion into the Western Australian South West and Great southern region led to the establishment of a second winery, located at Nannup
in the Blackwood Valley.
The Houghton portfolio includes the brands of Houghton Line Range, Houghton Crofters, Moondah Brook, Houghton Regional Range, Houghton Gladstone and Jack Mann.
Houghton is now owned by Accolade Wines.
The land of which Houghton was part (Swan Location II) was originally assigned by Governor James Stirling
to Revett Henry Bland in 1829. In 1836, a syndicate of three British Army Officers, Houghton, Lowie and Yule (who had been serving together in India
) purchased the northern half of Swan location II. The syndicate named the property Houghton after the senior ranking officer of their group, Lieutenant Colonel Richmond Houghton.
Houghton himself did not come to Western Australia and for the next 23 years the property was managed and developed by one of the members of the syndicate, Thomas Newte Yule.
In 1859, Dr John Ferguson purchased the Houghton property for the sum of 350 pounds and in that same year produced the first commercial vintage of wine from the vineyard a total of 25 gallons (113.7 l).
Moondyne Joe
, Western Australia
's most famous bushranger
was captured on the Houghton property in the act of stealing wine from the cellars on the 25th February 1869. By chance, the owner, Charles William Ferguson had been helping with a police search, and afterwards invited a group of police back to the vineyard for refreshments. When Ferguson entered the cellar, Joe assumed that he was discovered, and made a dash for the door into the arms of the police.
The Emu Wine Company purchased the Houghton property in 1950 from the Ferguson family. In April 1976, the South Australian winemaking Hardy
family acquired the stock of the London based Emu Wine Company and with that purchase, became owners of Houghton.
's wine industry. and served a total of 51 consecutive vintages at Houghton. His awards included being awarded an MBE
in 1964. The West Australian
newspaper included him in their list of Western Australia
's 100 most influential people.
One of Mann's most significant accomplishments was the creation of the Houghton White Burgundy in 1937, a full bodied chenin blanc wine. The Houghton White Burgundy was so named because the judges and winemakers at the 1937 Melbourne Wine Show likened it to the style of wines from Burgundy, France. The Houghton White Burgundy has become one of Australia's most popular white wines. Houghton White Burgundy was renamed Houghton White Classic in 2005 to comply with an international trade agreement between Australia
and the EU (see Protected designation of origin
).
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s and wineries
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
in 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...
. It is situated on Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway
The Great Northern Highway is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the state's capital Perth with its most northern port, Wyndham. It is in length, with being National Highway...
in the Swan Valley near Upper Swan
Upper Swan, Western Australia
Upper Swan is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Swan local government area.It contains Upper Swan Primary School....
.
The 50 hectares of vineyards surrounding the Swan Valley winery consist of plantings of Verdelho
Verdelho
Verdelho is a white wine grape grown throughout Portugal, though most associated with the island of Madeira, and also gives its name to one of the four main types of Madeira wine...
, 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...
, 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...
and Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin blanc , is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled...
. Early documentation and current research suggests the first vines were planted between 1830 and 1836.
In addition Houghton operates four of Western Australia's largest vineyards at Moondah Brook (145 hectares), Pemberton
Pemberton, Western Australia
Pemberton is a town located in the South West region of Western Australia, named after the early settler Pemberton Walcott. It is the home of the karri tree, the largest tree in Western Australia and the third largest hardwood tree in the world...
(92 hectares), Mount Barker
Mount Barker, Western Australia
Mount Barker is a town on the Albany Highway and is the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia...
(74 hectares) and Frankland River (89 hectares), along with sourcing fruit from Margaret River
Margaret River, Western Australia
Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River....
, Harvey
Harvey, Western Australia
Harvey is a town located in the South West of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, 140 km south of Perth, between Pinjarra and Bunbury...
and the Ferguson Valley.
Expansion into the Western Australian South West and Great southern region led to the establishment of a second winery, located at Nannup
Nannup, Western Australia
Nannup is a town and shire in the South West region of Western Australia, approximately south of Perth on the Blackwood River at the crossroads of Vasse Highway and Brockman Highway, linking Nannup to most of the Lower South West's regional centres...
in the Blackwood Valley.
The Houghton portfolio includes the brands of Houghton Line Range, Houghton Crofters, Moondah Brook, Houghton Regional Range, Houghton Gladstone and Jack Mann.
Houghton is now owned by Accolade Wines.
History
James Stirling (Australian governor)
Admiral Sir James Stirling RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia...
to Revett Henry Bland in 1829. In 1836, a syndicate of three British Army Officers, Houghton, Lowie and Yule (who had been serving together in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) purchased the northern half of Swan location II. The syndicate named the property Houghton after the senior ranking officer of their group, Lieutenant Colonel Richmond Houghton.
Houghton himself did not come to Western Australia and for the next 23 years the property was managed and developed by one of the members of the syndicate, Thomas Newte Yule.
In 1859, Dr John Ferguson purchased the Houghton property for the sum of 350 pounds and in that same year produced the first commercial vintage of wine from the vineyard a total of 25 gallons (113.7 l).
Moondyne Joe
Moondyne Joe
Joseph Bolitho Johns , better known as Moondyne Joe, was Western Australia's best known bushranger.- Biography :...
, 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...
's most famous bushranger
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
was captured on the Houghton property in the act of stealing wine from the cellars on the 25th February 1869. By chance, the owner, Charles William Ferguson had been helping with a police search, and afterwards invited a group of police back to the vineyard for refreshments. When Ferguson entered the cellar, Joe assumed that he was discovered, and made a dash for the door into the arms of the police.
The Emu Wine Company purchased the Houghton property in 1950 from the Ferguson family. In April 1976, the South Australian winemaking Hardy
Hardy Wine Company
Constellation Wines Australia, formerly Hardy Wine Company, is a wine making company owned by Constellation Brands in Victor, New York, USA, Constellations is the largest wine company in the world. The Hardy Wine Company was founded by Thomas Hardy in 1853 in Adelaide, the business soon became...
family acquired the stock of the London based Emu Wine Company and with that purchase, became owners of Houghton.
Jack Mann
Jack Mann (1906–1989) was considered a pioneer of Western AustraliaWestern 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...
's wine industry. and served a total of 51 consecutive vintages at Houghton. His awards included being awarded an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1964. The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
newspaper included him in their list 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...
's 100 most influential people.
One of Mann's most significant accomplishments was the creation of the Houghton White Burgundy in 1937, a full bodied chenin blanc wine. The Houghton White Burgundy was so named because the judges and winemakers at the 1937 Melbourne Wine Show likened it to the style of wines from Burgundy, France. The Houghton White Burgundy has become one of Australia's most popular white wines. Houghton White Burgundy was renamed Houghton White Classic in 2005 to comply with an international trade agreement between Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the EU (see Protected designation of origin
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
).