The Great Southern wine region is in
Western Australia's Great Southern region. It comprises an area from east to west and over from north to south, and is Australia's largest
wine region
This list of wine-producing regions catalogues significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. Wine grapes mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degree of latitude, in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Grapes will sometimes ...
.
It has five nominated subregions for wine, the
Porongurups
Porongurup National Park is a national park in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It covers , and is southeast of Perth and north of Albany.
The park contains the Porongurup Range, which is the relic core of an ancient mount ...
,
Mount Barker,
Albany,
Denmark
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and
Frankland River under the
geographical indication
A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...
s legislation as determined by the
Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation
Wine Australia is an Australian Government statutory corporation that promotes and regulates the Australian wine industry. It was created as the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) in 1981 to replace the Australian Wine Board by the ...
. The vineyards spread throughout the area known for production of high quality vines have significant variations of
terroir
(, ; from ''terre'', "land") is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these conte ...
and climate dictated in part by the distance however the region is the coolest of Western Australia's viticultural areas, with a similar
maritime influenced Mediterranean climate to
Margaret River
The Margaret River is a river in southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River.
The river arises from a catchment of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range.
The ...
although with slightly less rainfall. This diverse region is known for
Riesling
Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...
,
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
,
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
,
pinot noir
Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
,
Shiraz
Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...
, and
Malbec
Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...
.
[T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 589 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ][J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 326 Oxford University Press 2006 ]
Subregions
*Albany is a subregion of the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Albany's climate is maritime, strongly shaped and moderated by the Southern Ocean; the standard description is that it is Mediterranean, with moist, cool winters and warm, dry summers. Diurnal temperature range is minimal, and moderate humidity in summer assists ripening by reducing stress on the vines. Soil types of the region are either lateritic gravelly, sandy loams or sandy loams derived directly from granite and gneissic rocks.
*Denmark the coastal neighbour of Albany is one of the five subregions of Great Southern. Marginally wetter and cooler than Albany, although the differences are not of significant magnitude. The climate is broadly similar to Albany; the varieties being grown and the wine styles are also similar.
*Frankland River is one of the five subregions of the Great Southern in Western Australia. It is situated in the northwestern corner of the region, its western boundary touching the eastern side of Manjimup. It is the most northerly, inland subregion of Great Southern, still Mediterranean in terms of dominant winter-spring rainfall, but with greater continentality. The soils are chiefly derived from lateric gravelly sandy loams or sandy loams derived from granite or gneissic rocks, and so are typically rich, red in color and of uniform depth with some areas carrying marri and karri loams. The climatic influences for the area favor medium-bodied, Bordeaux style red varieties, and with the excellent adaptation of slightly earlier-maturing Shiraz.
*Mount Barker this cool subregion is generally regarded as the most important subregion of the Great Southern. Ripening month and average temperatures in the established Mount Barker vineyards are significantly lower than in the
Médoc
The Médoc (; oc, label= Gascon, Medòc ) is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the ''département'' of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Its name comes from ''(Pagus) Medull ...
, and significantly lower than in the lower warmer Bordeaux appellations such as
Saint Emilion
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
and
Pomerol
Pomerol (; oc, Pomairòus) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gironde Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine near Bordeaux in southwestern France.
Wine
With only . Pomerol is the smallest wine producing area in the Bordea ...
. Average ripening period sunshine hours at Mount Barker together with the whole season measure of sunshine hours are nearly identical with those of Bordeaux.
Situated in the middle of the Great Southern, with strong continental aspects together with marri soils and lateritic gravely and sandy loams provided from the granite rock backdrop the region is suited to Riesling, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot noir.
[J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 459 Oxford University Press 2006 ]
*Porongurup is the fifth of the subregions of the Great Southern, just east of Mount Barker; and especially, the slopes facing north and north-east. The Porongorups are a small, isolated range of intrusive granite, of which slopes enjoy outstanding air drainage.
The Porongorups ranges has one of the richest concentrations of plant species worldwide and is one of only 34 internationally significant hotspots for biodiversity.
[Myers N., Mittermeier R.A., Mittermeier C.G., da Fonseca G. A. B. and Kent J. (2000). ‘Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities’, Nature, vol. 403, 24 February 2000.] The Porongurup range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, dating roughly around 1.1 to 1.4 billion years old which places its formation in the ‘Proterozoic’ Eon. It owes its formation to the massive tectonic forces that have shaped the southern and western coasts of Australia, a likely result of a collision between the Australian and Antarctic landmasses.
[‘Day-tripping in the Gt Southern’, Jenelle Carter, WA Business News, 18 June 2008][Black L., Harris L.B. and Delor C.P. (1992). ‘Reworking of Archaean and Early Proterozoic components during a progressive Middle Proterozoic tectonothermal event in the Albany Mobile Belt, Western Australia’, Precambrian Research, vol. 59.][Abbott Ian (1980). ‘The Avifauna of the Porongurup Range, an isolated habitat in South-Western Australia’, Emu, vol. 81. Anderson, J (1984).] The climate is Mediterranean with cool to mild winters and warm, sunny summers. While conditions are cooler and more humid higher up in the ranges with occasional snow on the taller peaks for short periods during winter and spring.
[CALM (1999). Management Plan – Stirling Range National Park and Porongurup National Park 1999–2009, Management Plan no. 42. Department of Conservation and Land Management; National Parks and Nature Conservation Authority, Perth.] The soils are ancient, deep karri loams derived from weathered granite.
Porongurup is strongly indicated for all high quality white wine varieties such as Riesling, Traminer, Chardonnay, and red wine varieties such as Pinot noir, and Pinot Meunier.
History
The international definition and recognition of this area as a distinct and unique wine growing area goes back to 1859, when original settler George Egerton-Warburton planted vines on his St Werburgh's property near Mount Barker and bottled his first vintage two years later. However, the first real commercial foundations were laid in the late 1930s by horticulturalist Bill Jamieson. His extensive knowledge of the area's soils and climate was augmented by the research of Californian Professor
Harold Olmo
Harold Olmo (July 31, 1909 – June 30, 2006) was an American viticulturist and professor at the University of California, Davis where he created many new grape varieties known today as Olmo grapes. In the 1950s, he helped to establish Califo ...
in 1955 during a government-sponsored trip to Western Australia. Olmo spent eight months in Western Australia at the invitation of the Western Australian Vine Fruits Research Trust, while on leave from his post as Professor of
Viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
at the University of California.
When he published his report in 1956, one of the recommendations put forward was that
Mount Barker and the
Frankland area of Western Australia showed great promise for making table wines in the light traditional European style. This was further backed up by agricultural and viticultural scientist Dr John Gladstones in 1963, and endorsed by the Western Australian Grape Industry Committee (1964).
A year later, Jamieson and
Houghton's celebrated winemaker
Jack Mann, went to Mount Barker and the first experimental cuttings were planted in 1965 at Forest Hill.
Wineries
*
Plantagenet Wines
Plantagenet Wines is an Australian winery based at Mount Barker, in the Great Southern wine region of Western Australia. It includes Bouverie Vineyard in Denbarker, the first commercial vineyard to be planted in the region.
See also
* Austr ...
*
Forest Hill Wines
*
Goundrey Wines
*
Howard Park, MadFish, and Marchand & Burch Wines
*
Houghton Wines
*
Castle Rock Estate
Castle Rock Estate is an Australian winery based at Porongurup, Western Australia, Porongurup, in the Great Southern (wine region), Great Southern wine region of Western Australia and owned and operated by the Diletti family. According to prom ...
*
3 Drop Wines
*
Castelli Estate
* Willoughby Park
* Singlefile Wines
In the media
* The Porongurup wine region was featured on the
ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to:
*ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or
*ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia
ABC Television or ABC ...
programme ''
Landline
A landline (land line, land-line, main line, home phone, fixed-line, and wireline) is a telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber telephone line for transmission, as distinguished from a mobile cellular network, which uses ...
'' in the July 2010 episode "Great Southern Land".
[ ]
References
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
* Wine Australia
The Great Southern wine region* Margaret River Visitor Centre
The Great Southern* Denmark Wine Region
Denmark Wine Region
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Southern (Wine Region)
Wine regions of Western Australia
Great Southern (Western Australia)