Margaret River is the major

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, ...

wine region in southwest

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, with 5,017 hectares under vine and 215 wineries as at 2012.

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. ...

wine region is made up predominantly of boutique size wine producers; although winery operations range from the smallest crushing 3.5 tonne per year to the largest around 7000 tonne. The climate of Margaret River is more strongly maritime-influenced than any other major Australian region. It has the lowest mean annual temperature range, of only 7.6 °C, and as well as the most marked

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

in terms of rainfall, with only 200 millimetres of the annual 1160 millimetres falling between October and April. The low diurnal and seasonal temperature range means an unusually even accumulation of warmth. Overall the climate is similar to that of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

in a dry vintage. Although the region produces just three percent of total Australian grape production, it produces over 20 percent of Australia's premium wine market. The principal

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

varieties are fairly evenly split between red and white; Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc,

Sémillon Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC. History The Sémil ...

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

, Merlot, Chenin blanc and Verdelho.

Sub-regions

There are no official Margaret River subregions, although in 1999 viticultural scientist Dr John Gladstones presented a paper suggesting there should be six subregions based on climate and soil differences namely: Yallingup, Carbunup, Wilyabrup, Treeton, Wallcliffe and Karridale.Gladstones, John (2016).
Viticulture and Environment''Revised Edition''
Tanunda, South Australia: Trivinum Press.

Most widely harvested varieties by tonnes crushed

Wineries

A selective list of the 215 (2012) grape growers and wine producers in the Margaret River Wine Region includes:

Tourism and cultural events

The WSL Margaret River Pro is held annually in May attracting professional surfers from across the globe. The CinefestOZ film festival stages several events across the region in late August each year.

References

Citations

Sources

; Web sources * ; Books * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* Margaret River Visitor Centre
The Margaret River wine regionMargaret River Wine Industry Association
* Wine Australia
Margaret River
* Australia's South West
The Margaret River wine region
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret River (Wine Region) Wine regions of Western Australia Margaret River, Western Australia Culture of Western Australia