Margaret River is a new wine region. Before the mid-1960s it simply didn't exist. The fact that it became a wine region at all is down to the foresight of Dr. John Gladstones, a horticulturalist by training who developed an interest in winegrowing. From his exhaustive trawling through weather data, and with his knowledge of geology, Gladstones identified Margaret River as having an ideal climate and soils for quality winegrowing. Overall, his assessment of the local climate was that it was like right-bank Bordeaux in a good vintage. His work encouraged a band of pioneers to begin planting vineyards here.
History has proven Gladstones right. Margaret River has now established itself as one of Australia's top regions, making perhaps Australia's best Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as impressive Chardonnay and stylishly fresh Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blends. Where else in Australia are Bordeaux blends produced with as much definition as Margaret River? Only Coonawarra comes close, and even then, sporadically.
Should you have the pleasure to visit the Margaret River wine region you are sure to come away impressed. The wines are typically fresh and have real definition to them. As well as the classics – Cabernet, Chardonnay and Semillon Sauvignon – there were some nice Shiraz wines, some fresh Rieslings and deeply impressive Malbecs. So impressive were some of the Malbecs that this would be the tip for the next big thing for the region.
Langton's Classification of Australia
In the recent Langton's Classification only 101 wines were chosen from over 6000 entrants from over the whole of Australia; only 11 made the top "Exceptional Category". Furthermore, 3 of these 11 "Exceptional" wines were from Margaret River. An amazing accomplishment for a wine region that produces only 4% of Australia's wine.
These are the types of accolades that Margaret River, a relative newcomer to the wine industry, is getting used to, as well as gaining much interest from wine consumers from around the world. Indeed this attention was augmented when the great Champaign House of Moet Hennessy, bought into the region capturing Cape Mentelle Vineyards, which is now part of the Moet Hennessy Wine Estates.
The 2006 London Wine Decanter Awards presented 47 Decanter trophies to Margaret River wines in 2006! Astonishing achievements when considering these awards attract entrants from every winemaking nation on the planet.
