Western Australia is not particularly known
for its vine growing potential, except for one prominent wine region. This
region is Margaret River, named after the river which rises in Whicher Range
and debouches into Indian Ocean forming an estuary. It is in the middle reaches
of this river that viticulture is practised, making it a top wine growing
region of this state. There are total 200 Margaret River wineries present.
Some of these are-
1. After Hours Wines - The vineyard
was bought by Mathews in 2005 and at present it produces about 60 tonnes of
fruit from this vineyard. Cab Sav, Shiraz and Merlot are major varieties of
grapes grown here.
2. Night Harvest Wines - This is a
five star rated winery by the famed wine critique - James Halliday. The fruit
comes from four different vineyards present in the Margaret River region. Fruit
is also sourced from some contractors, though in small quantities. Cabernet
Sauvignon and Chardonnay are quite famous.
3. Hardys Wines - The Hardys are
one of the oldest wine houses in the country. They are known for producing
quality wines of different varietals. Fruit is sourced from their vineyard
located in the Margaret River region.
4. Butler Crest Wines - The
vineyard of this winery is located in Wilyabrup, which is one of the
premium wine region within the Margaret River wine region. They are known for
producing premium wines of Cab Sauv, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Semillon.
5. Houghton Wines - Again, Houghton
wines is an old winery, which began its operation in 1830s. The beginning was
made in the Swan Valley region of Western Australia.
These wineries produce wines from different
grape varietals and sell these in domestic or export markets either as single
wines or carefully crafted blends.
