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| WESTERN AUSTRALIA - Wine | ||
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| INTRODUCTION: The wonderful scenery and climate of Western Australia combine to produce magnificent wines and memorable touring. Sophisticated Margaret river, the vast Great Southern area, up and coming Pemberton and the beautiful Swan Valley all have their own distinctive characters. | ||
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Summary of wine choices for Western
Australia: |
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| The main wine growing areas in Western Australia are ... | ||
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Margaret River Region |
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This Western Australian coastal wine region on the Indian
Ocean, three hours drive south of Perth, has a temperate
climate, high rainfall and good soils. It also has some of the
best surfing beaches in the Southern Hemisphere! Vines
were first planted in the region in the late 1960s by Dr Tom
Cully of Vasse Felix, Dr Bill Pannell of Moss Wood and Dr Kevin
Cullen of Cullen's, who have all gone on to produce some of the
best wine in the region, and in Australia. There are almost 40
wineries in the Margaret River region now, with Cabernet
Sauvignon and Chardonnay standing out. Semillon and Sauvignon
Blanc also do well. Overall, a delightful region to visit,
with some very high quality wines being produced, albeit on the
pricey side. Other well known names include Cape Mentelle, Pierro, and Leeuwin Estate.
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| Pemberton Region | ||
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This exciting new wine region, just over an hour's drive to the southeast of Margaret River, consists of about 20 vineyards/wineries spread between the timber milling towns of Manjimup to the north and Pemberton to the south. Visually, this is a really stunning and unique wine region with many of the wineries nestled between and within the karri, jarrah and red gum forests. Some of the older karri trees around the town of Pemberton reach 60 metres in height. The wineries of this region are gaining a solid reputation after only a few years, with the soil well suited to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. A visit to the south west of Western Australia would not be complete without a detour to this delightful region.
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| Great Southern Region | ||
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Almost 400 kilometres south east of Perth, on the Southern
Ocean, this wine region spreads from the coastal towns of
Denmark and Albany to the high altitude towns of Mt Barker and
Frankland in the north. Covering such a large area, this wine
region is capable of supporting many more than the current 20
wineries. The climate is near perfect for growing vines, being
generally cool, with dry summers and wet winters. The scenery in
this area is also stunning, with the Stirling and Porongurup
Ranges providing a grand backdrop. The region's first
winery, Plantagenet at Mt Barker, was established only in 1975,
so expect to find cellar doors in the region a little raw and
under developed. Not so of the cool climate wines, with
Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz
grapes all producing wines of complexity and intensity.
Famous names include Alkoomi, Frankland Estate, Goundrey, Howard
Park, which produces the Madfish Bay blends, and Plantagenet.
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| Swan Valley Region | ||
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This hot area is close to Perth. Famous names include
Bassendean, Evans and Tate, Houghton, Moondah Brook and
Sandalford.
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| Seeing Western Australia's Wine Regions ... | ||
| The Swan Valley area makes a good
day trip from your hotel in Perth and there are a number of options on
offer, including river cruises. The other areas are all several
hours drive from Perth and whether you choose to self drive or take one
of the tour packages available depends upon your personal
preference. |
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| EXPLORING ON YOUR OWN - hotels, guest houses and self driving | ||
| Below are links to details of some
selected accommodation which we can book for you as part of an
independent itinerary, combined with car hire. See our Self
Drive Tours section for details and prices itineraries which visit wine
areas - or visit Vehicle
Hire for car rental only. |
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| Links to details of accommodation in and around the West Australian Vineyards: | ||
| ORGANISED WINE TOURS | ||
| Self driving around wineries can be rather hard on the driver who is denied the pleasure of swallowing at the tastings and even the most fiercely independent travellers may like to opt for at least one escorted tour here! Please note that both the two day and the day tours that we have chosen here are coach tours and not small group tours. | ||
| 1 Night/2 Day Tour to Margaret River ... | ||
| Return to - Top Wine Introduction Index or hit 'Back' button to return to previous page | ||
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