Settling in the district in 1986, Andy (pictured right) has been fortunate enough to have participated in the tremendous growth and discovery that has been in Margaret River‘s recent history.

Starting initially with vineyard development and management, Andy later undertook the establishment of an enormous amount of vineyards; to date having been involved in planting over 3000ha worth. To put that in perspective, Margaret River has a total of 4250ha of vines out of the state's total of 12,500ha.

Andy's continuous involvement with his contract harvesting business allows him to acquire intimate knowledge of the "terroir" on over 110 estates throughout the district, every season . This unique access to fruit at harvest, along with the knowledge gained from planting so many sites in the area has given him a rare understanding of what makes Margaret River tick and an understanding as to why the area has such a superior reputation.

Andy once commented "we believe that meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard and ruthless fruit selection will be what will set us apart. Quality is made in the Vineyard and refined in the winery".

So impressive were some of the Malbecs that this would be the tip for the next big thing for the region. Wineanorak have visited the region and written up their experiences in the usual wineanorak fashion.

Wine maker - Kevin McKay

Kevin was Chief Winemaker at Abbey Vale; an early pioneer in the Margaret River Wine region, until selling the estate in 2001. Perhaps his greatest achievement at Abbey Vale was the consistency of winning medals, over 60 to date.

Kevin now concentrates his efforts in applying his skills to the crafting of the finest wines. The purpose built winery at Forester Estate specialises in providing fruit integrity to "Labels" that aim high with just one thing in mind: quality. Quality from the vineyard, through the winery and onto the table.