For wine lovers visiting the south western corner of WA, make sure that you don’t leave without tasting the world-renowned Margaret River wine. Since the first major vine plantation in 1967, the region has flourished to become known as potentially one of the world’s finest wine producing areas. Be it luscious Shiraz, vibrant Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, sublime Chardonnay or complex and intense Cabernet’s, Margaret River wine has garnered a reputation for exceptional quality and character. The region is predominantly made up of boutique size winemakers, but wine operations vary from the largest, crushing 7000 tonnes annually to the smallest, around 3.5 tonnes.
The ezine article “Top Winemaking Regions in Australia and the Best Australian Wines” talks about Australia’s major wine regions and says the following about Margaret River wine: “Located 268 kilometers away from the city of Perth, fans of different wines can visit this place which is a 3-hour drive away from the city. The wineries in this region offer the best-tasting varieties, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Merlot. Most wineries offer wine-tasting activities to their visitors, although many need not come to the region to taste the great wines. They can purchase these from the retailers that offer online wine sales.”http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-Winemaking-Regions-in-Australia-and-the-Best-Australian-Wines&id=6242805
With more than 140 wineries and almost 5,500 ha under vine, the Margaret River wine region is without doubt one of the world’s most popular and vibrant wine producing areas. Although it accounts for only 3% of Australia’s total grape production, it is responsible for more than 20% of the country’s premium wine production. The region stretches over 100 kilometers from north to south and is around 30 kilometers wide in parts, comprising the undulating hills of Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste, and bordering the Southern and Indian Oceans.
Generally, the climate of the Margaret River wine region resembles that of the Bordeaux area in a dry vintage. The near ideal humidity levels and the avoidance of extreme temperatures during the wine growing period together with perfect soils result in Margaret River wine of consistently top quality fruit with strong flavor. Vintage takes place between February and May each year, depending on the climate and the resulting ripening. The Margaret River wine region utilizes a combination of machine harvesting and hand picking to make sure that the fruit is removed at optimum ripeness in a timely way.
