Ignition Credibility to the cause of Margaret River wine was first achieved at successive Perth Wine Shows, when 1972 Vasse Felix Riesling won a gold medal and 1973 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon achieved a similar result. Margaret River Riesling, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc also made successful appearances in both the Canberra and Perth wine shows during the late 1970s. These achievements, through the prism of hindsight, were commendable for their times, but the references have changed significantly since then. Around 1978, there were only a handful of winemakers with oenology qualifications. Among them were Bill Jamieson and Tony Devitt of the Western Australian Department of Agriculture, Bob Cartwright at Houghton’s (later at Leeuwin Estate), Dorham Mann at Sandalford (who planted vines at Wilyabrup in 1970), and Mike Peterkin at Cullen’s (later at Pierro). Technical expertise was shared, because that’s how pioneering communities work. This pattern of collegial support is one of the foundations of practically all of Australia’s wine regions through the earliest beginnings to the present day.
Margaret River Climate Warm maritime/Mediterranean climate
Average Rainfall – 850–1200mm, mainly between May and September Latitude – 33º3’S to 34º22’S (Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin) Longitude – 114º58’E to 115º18’E (Cape Clairault to Gladstones Line) Surface Area – 27 x 100 kilometres = 2700 square kilometres Mean January Temperature – 20.6ºC Mean Growing Degree Days (Oct–Apr) – 1939 days Vintage takes place between the end of February and mid-April. A report published by scientist Dr John Gladstones in 1965 found that Margaret River had a similar climate to Pomerol or Saint-Émilion, with low frost risk, plenty of sunshine, and equable temperatures within seasons promoting even ripening. The climate is warm and maritime. The daily sea breezes during summer work like an air-conditioner and moderate temperatures. Extreme heat is very rare. An ancient crystalline bedrock formation sweeps down from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin, and is known as the Leeuwin Block. It is believed that this geological feature could be as old as 1,600 million years old. After the supercontinent Gondwanaland broke up through continental drift during the Cretaceous period (145–160 million years ago), an iron-enriched lateritic plateau formed over the bedrock, and the landforms were further shaped by weathering.
Margaret River 147
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