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On the advice of a
report by eminent Western Australian agronomist Dr John Gladstones in 1965,
vineyards were established in the area for the production of high quality table
wines. At the time Dr John Gladstones said prophetically...
"I believe that
the climate in the area could be uniquely suited for production of winegrapes of
the highest quality and, further, that suitable soils exist. All known
theoretical considerations point to a very good potential indeed."
He was proven
right.
The first commercial vines were
planted in 1967 at Dr Tom Cullity's Vasse Felix vineyard. However, the original
wine pioneers were Di and Dr Kevin Cullen, who owned a property abutting Vasse
Felix and planted an experimental acre in the previous year. From these small
beginnings, the Margaret River Wine industry has continued to grow, with the
region now boasting 60 established vineyards and over 40 wineries. Today
Margaret River is arguably the purest wine environment in the world and has
become renowned for producing wines of character and depth.
Location
The designated Margaret River Wine region extends west from longitude 115 18' (Gladstones
line) east through Dunsborough and Yallingup, South along the coast out of the
Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge to Augusta, and east again out to its starting
longitude. Basically it comprises the tip of the peninsula that makes up
Australia's Southwest corner. The region is about 110 kilometres long from
north to South and 27kilometres from east to west, and in a relatively short
time has become recognised as one of Australia?s premium wine producing
regions.
Soils
Soil types vary, with gravelly loam
topsoil over a clay subsoil predominant in the best vine country. Ancient
granite bedrock and outcrop of limestone have broken down to produce pockets of
soil well suited to premium grape cultivation. The presence of tall redgum
trees is also indicative of suitable for viticulture.
Climate
The area has an advantageous climate
characterised by relatively high winter rainfall (approximately 1150mm annually)
and dry warm summers. There is usually a low incidence of frost, cloud, rain,
and hail during the ripening period. The moderating climatic effect of the
Indian and Southern oceans is also a primary factor in the predictability and
stability of the climate in the area. Thus a number of Margaret River vineyards
are unirrigated. The size of the wine region however gives rise to several
distinct microclimates and soil changes. An interesting variance in styles of
wine can be detected in the same variety from different parts of the
cape. Naturally, other factors play a role here also, including viticultural
and winemaking technique and topographical location, but it is often possible to
distinguish a wine produced in say, the Wilyabrup subregion from one originating
in the southern reaches of the Margaret River winegrowing region.
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