Margeret River Winery Region
The Margeret River Winery region is a superb blend of good living and stunning nature just three and a half hours' drive south of Perth. Visitors to the area, one of Western Australia's most popular destinations, should be prepared to indulge in the gastronomic delights of worldclass wineries and gourmet vineyard restaurants.
Responsible for producing less than one percent of Australia's wine but over 15 percent of Australia's premium wine, the 60 or so wineries in the region open for cellar door sales and tastings offer the visitor an impressive selection. Boutique beer breweries, exquisite cheese product, jam and condiment producers, a marron (freshwater crayfish) farm, olive groves and even chocolate and fudge factories enhance the gourmet experiences. Couple this with an immense array of art and craft galleries, and the area offers visitors a fabulous opportunity to experience the work of local producers and artists.
Dining out in the Margeret River Winery area is a gastronomical delight. Many acclaimed chefs have been drawn to the area by the high quality fresh local produce and the worldclass wines of the region. There is an abundance of different styles of cuisine with every taste catered for.
Margeret River is host to The Margeret River Winery Region Festival held annually in November.
Wine and food aside, the area is blessed with an abundance of natural attractions including a myriad of underground caves (open for public tours), pristine white beaches, pockets of beautiful forest and a multitude of bush and coastal walk trails. The rugged coastline is an example of nature at its finest and ocean views can be enjoyed from many lookout points. Other activities include canoeing along the Margeret River, adventure activities such as abseiling and rock climbing, whale watching off Augusta and great fishing in the ocean and river.
Massive surf has long been a major draw for the area and watching the local surfers take on the ocean is a spectacular sight. Every year the world class surfing competition, the Salomon Masters Margeret River Classic, gets the town buzzing with excitement and visitors.
The region is highly accessible, with flights to both Margeret River and Busselton airstrips, regular bus services from Perth, and a train to bus link running through Bunbury.
Luxury guest houses, bed and breakfasts, beachside apartments, selfcontained chalets, hotels, motels, resorts, farm stays, caravan parks, back packer hostels and camping grounds cater for everyone's accommodation needs.
Margeret River, with its stunning coastline and world-class wineries, is one of Australia's most inspiring wine regions. With its maritime influenced climate, Chardonnay along with red and white Bordeaux-style blends are particularly successful.
Margeret River is synonymous with a new era in Australian wine. As the region has come of age so too has Australia's world standing, exports and domestic consumption. The Margeret River wine story is one of longing, science, daring, creativity and style. The story began with Italian immigrant farmers, Albert Credaro, Jimmy Meleri and Domenic Garuccio planting vines to supply themselves and other Italian families with the table wine they so sorely missed in this the land of the 6 o'clock swill. They were successful.
The work of the Italians was supported by science when in the 1960s agronomist Dr John Gladstones and viticulturalist Professor Harold Olmo recommended the region for viticulture citing its climate and soil as being comparable to that of Burgundy.
An indefatigable group of medicos and women acted upon Gladstones's advice and planted vines. Dr Tom Cullity established Vasse Felix, Di and Dr Kevin Cullen, Cullen Wines, Dr Bill and Sandra Parnell, Moss Wood and Drs Eithne and John Lagan, Chateau Xanadu. Ownership has changed hands but these early vineyards became the household names in the Margeret River stable.
As vineyards aged and more vineyards and wineries were established the region began to hone its reputation, winning medals and trophies for their creative blends and distinctive styles. The region has become famous for its fruity, dry whites, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The Shiraz came onto the world stage when Evans and Tate won the "best red in the world" at the 2000 London International Wine Challenge.
Wine tourism has also developed along with the wineries and it is impressive. Its beginnings were really impressive. In 1985 Tricia and Denis Horgan decided to bring the international stage to Leeuwin Estate. First to be invited was the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The rest is history; an annual concert that has seen such greats as Ray Charles and Shirley Bassey. This of course sent news of this great wine region around Australia and around the world. What followed has been the development of cellar doors, a regional cuisine, excellent tourist facilities and the renowned Margeret River Wine Region Festival held in November.
The region runs along the coast from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin in the south. The Margeret River flows east to west through its centre and the Blackwood River flows southwest to Augusta. The region features a ridge running from cape to cape. The land is undulating with maximum elevation at 90m. The soils are gravelly sandy loams. The region is large and varied being divided into six sub-regions (unofficial). The bulk of the vineyards and wineries are in Wilyabrup sub-region near the coastline and south of the Margeret River in Wallcliffe sub-region. Other sun-regions are Yallingup in the north, Karridale in the south and Treeton and Carbunup in the north-west.
The climate is warm maritime with cooling breezes (and sometimes strong winds) off the Indian Ocean. Most rain falls in autumn and winter.
Harvest time: February to mid April
Sites with more information:
* Margeret River Regional Wine Centre
* Margeret River Online
* Down South Western Australia
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