Margaret River (wine region)
Encyclopedia
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 smallest crushing 3.5 tonne per year to the largest around 7000 tonne. The climate of Margaret River is more strongly maritime-influenced than any other major Australian region. It has the lowest mean annual temperature range, of only 7.6C, and for good measure has the most marked Mediterranean climate in terms of rainfall, with only 200 millimetres of the annual 1160 millimetres falling between October and April. The low diurnal and seasonal temperature range means an unusually even accumulation of warmth. Overall the climate is similar to that of Bordeaux
in a dry vintage. Although the region produces just three percent of total Australian grape production, it produces over 20 percent of Australia's premium wine market. The principal grape
varieties are fairly evenly split between red and white; Cabernet Sauvignon
, Chardonnay
, Sauvignon Blanc
, Sémillon
, Shiraz
, Merlot
, Chenin Blanc
and Verdelho
.
, Carbunup, Wilyabrup, Treeton, Wallcliffe and Karridale
.
Dr. Tom Cullity planted the first Margaret River
vines on the eight acres of land that he had bought for $75 an acre on Harman's Road south, in 1967. He named his property "Vasse Felix
", a name the much-extended vineyard still bears today. The area known as Vasse was named after a French sailor named Thomas Timothee Vasse
who was lost overboard off the coast in the area from the "Naturaliste" in 1801. And "Felix" of course means "happy", or "fortunate". The Margaret River
area was chosen for what was at that time a highly experimental exercise through studies undertaken in 1955 by Professor Harold Olmo
because of concerns about the viability of the Swan Valley wine industry, which was under attack from nematodes and virus diseases and whose future looked less than promising at the time. Dedicated and erudite research was performed by Dr John Gladstones from the University of Western Australia
, whose childhood in the Swan Valley, family background in agriculture and surveying and his own studies and lectures in agronomy
made him a highly qualified commentator. He published a paper in the Journal of the Australian Institute for Agricultural Science in 1961 which said in part "As far as the writer is aware, the Busselton
-Margaret River
region has never been seriously proposed as suitable for commercial viticulture
. Nevertheless, a study of its climate shows that it definitely warrants consideration."
Geographical indication
A geographical indication is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin...
wine region in the South West Australia Zone, with nearly 5,500 hectares under vine and over 138 wineries as at 2008. 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....
wine region is made up predominately of boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
size wine producers; although winery operations range from the smallest crushing 3.5 tonne per year to the largest around 7000 tonne. The climate of Margaret River is more strongly maritime-influenced than any other major Australian region. It has the lowest mean annual temperature range, of only 7.6C, and for good measure has the most marked Mediterranean climate in terms of rainfall, with only 200 millimetres of the annual 1160 millimetres falling between October and April. The low diurnal and seasonal temperature range means an unusually even accumulation of warmth. Overall the climate is similar to that of Bordeaux
Bordeaux 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...
in a dry vintage. Although the region produces just three percent of total Australian grape production, it produces over 20 percent of Australia's premium wine market. The principal grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
varieties are fairly evenly split between red and white; 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Sémillon
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...
, Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz may refer to:* Shiraz, Iran, a city in Iran* Shiraz County, an administrative subdivision of Iran* Vosketap, Armenia, formerly called ShirazPeople:* Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet* Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor...
, 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...
, 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...
and 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...
.
Sub-regions
There are no official Margaret River subregions, although in 1999 viticultural scientist Dr John Gladstones presented a paper suggesting there should be six subregions based on climate and soil differences namely: YallingupYallingup, Western Australia
Yallingup is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth. Yallingup is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and limestone caves, and proximity to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.-History and industry:...
, Carbunup, Wilyabrup, Treeton, Wallcliffe and Karridale
Karridale, Western Australia
Karridale is a small township in the south-west of Western Australia. Its postcode is 6288 and is located just north of Augusta and south of Margaret River between Caves Road and Bussell Highway. A newer township was built a short distance north east of the original Old Karridale following fires...
.
History
CardiologistCardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
Dr. Tom Cullity planted the first 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....
vines on the eight acres of land that he had bought for $75 an acre on Harman's Road south, in 1967. He named his property "Vasse Felix
Vasse Felix
Vasse Felix was the first vineyard and winery established in the Margaret River Wine Region. Established in Cowaramup in 1967 by Dr Tom Cullity, Vasse Felix is recognised as a pioneer of the Region.-Wines:...
", a name the much-extended vineyard still bears today. The area known as Vasse was named after a French sailor named Thomas Timothee Vasse
Thomas Vasse
Thomas Timothée Vasse was a French sailor who was lost in the surf on the south west coast of Australia in 1801, and presumed drowned...
who was lost overboard off the coast in the area from the "Naturaliste" in 1801. And "Felix" of course means "happy", or "fortunate". The 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....
area was chosen for what was at that time a highly experimental exercise through studies undertaken in 1955 by Professor Harold Olmo
Harold Olmo
Dr. Harold Olmo was a pioneering viticulturalist and professor at the University of California, Davis where he created many new grape varieties known today as Olmo grapes. In the 1950s, he helped to establish California's first quarantine facility on the UC-Davis campus to permit California...
because of concerns about the viability of the Swan Valley wine industry, which was under attack from nematodes and virus diseases and whose future looked less than promising at the time. Dedicated and erudite research was performed by Dr John Gladstones 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...
, whose childhood in the Swan Valley, family background in agriculture and surveying and his own studies and lectures in agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
made him a highly qualified commentator. He published a paper in the Journal of the Australian Institute for Agricultural Science in 1961 which said in part "As far as the writer is aware, the Busselton
Busselton, Western Australia
-Growth and development:According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Shire had a permanent resident population of 25,950 in 2004 with the town of Busselton accounting for 67% or 17,400 of the total. The Shire's permanent population is expected to continue to increase significantly to...
-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....
region has never been seriously proposed as suitable for commercial viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
. Nevertheless, a study of its climate shows that it definitely warrants consideration."
Wineries
- Brookland Valley
- Cullen WinesCullen WinesCullen Wines is an Australian winery based in Wilyabrup, within the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia.-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...
- Howard Park WinesHoward Park WinesHoward Park Wines is Western Australia's largest family-owned winery owned by the Burch family, which is responsible for such brands as Howard Park, MadFish, and Marchand & Burch. With two established Wineries based in both Margaret River, Western Australia and Denmark in the Great Southern...
- Leeuwin EstateLeeuwin EstateLeeuwin Estate is an Australian winery based in the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia.-History:Leeuwin Estate was established in 1969 by Denis and Tricia Horgan...
- Vasse FelixVasse FelixVasse Felix was the first vineyard and winery established in the Margaret River Wine Region. Established in Cowaramup in 1967 by Dr Tom Cullity, Vasse Felix is recognised as a pioneer of the Region.-Wines:...
External links
- Margaret River Visitor Centre: The Margaret River wine region
- Wine Australia: Margaret River
- Australia's South West: The Margaret River wine region