Western Australia – More than just Margs! Part 1.

Directions

Mention Western Australia to wine lovers and everybody’s mind goes immediately to the shimmering cerulean coastal region of Margaret River – as famous for its gnarly surf breaks as it is for its knockout Cabernets. But there’s so much more to the southwestern corner of WA.

This is Noongar country: home to dazzling beaches, dizzying mountain ranges, alluvial plains, ancient sand dunes, stupendous hardwood forests, rivers, waterfalls, creeks, and crags. If this corner of the world has a middle name, it’s Diversity. This week (and concluding next week), WineDown explores WA’s other regions: the old, the emerging, and the unsung heroes...

WA Part 1: Swan District to Geographe

SWAN DISTRICT

Historic, Hot, ’n Houghton’s...

With so much adulation lavished on the sexy southern sites, it’s easy to overlook where it all began. Historic Swan District was planted by English settlers in 1829 and it pretty much had WA’s wine industry all to itself for the next 150 years. The region (which incorporates the sub-region of Swan Valley) extends from the tiny township of Cowalla, just north of Perth, eastwards to the Darling Scarp and south through Perth’s northern suburbs. It skirts the city, and comes to an end in the southeastern suburbs, near Gosnells. The district bakes in a warm to hot Mediterranean climate – and actually, the mean January temperature would make viticulture untenable, if it wasn’t for daily visits from the Doctor. (The Fremantle Doctor – that deliciously fresh afternoon southwesterly that makes WA summers bearable.) The Swan District came to national prominence in the 1930s when legendary Houghton’s winemaker Jack Mann produced an award-winning Chenin Blanc that he called ‘White Burgundy’. Its phenomenal success put the region, the wine, and Houghton’s on the map. As well as its rich, luscious Chenin Blanc, the Swan District is rightly famous for bright and crunchy Verdelho, juicy, mid-weight Shiraz, and sweet and opulent Fortifieds (Liqueur Muscat and Pedro Ximénez).

PERTH HILLS

Vistas, Valleys, Vineyards...

Hugging the undulations and contours of the Darling Scarp, just half an hour east of the capital, Perth Hills is a picturesque jumble of ridges, gullies, forests, rivulets, and gorgeous boutique wineries. Viticulture started here in the 1880s, and today most of the region’s 35 wineries are still family-owned. Like the Swan District, the Hills enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate – although nights are cool, thanks to the altitude. The climate has been likened to that of Douro in Portugal, and Perth Hills’ wines tend to support that comparison, with full-bodied reds and fortifieds – although cooler sites produce some quality Chardonnay and Semillon. Look for earthy, chocolatey Cabernet, generous, fruit-driven Shiraz, and ripe, melon-and-peachy Chardonnay.

PEEL

Chenin, Chardy and Coastal Chic...

To the south of Perth, Peel runs along a stretch of coast from Rockingham(ish) through Mandurah to Preston Beach, and inland for about 100kms, incorporating delightfully named townships such as Quindanning, Wundowie and Wandering. Although viticulture started here as far back as 1857, it wasn’t until the 1970s that wine was produced in commercial quantities. Like its neighbour to the north, Peel relies on cooling sea breezes to moderate summer temperatures – although winters are cool and wet. Chenin Blanc was the first winegrape to be planted in the region, and it’s still a favourite, with great concentration of flavour. Peel Chardonnays range from melon and stone fruit to rich and buttery, while in reds, medium-bodied Cabernet and elegant, food-friendly Shiraz dominate.

GEOGRAPHE

History and Geographe...

When, in 1800, Nicolas Baudin was instructed by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte to undertake an expedition to New Holland, he did so with two ships: Naturaliste and Géographe. Baudin ‘discovered’ a wide, sweeping cove on the southern coast of New Holland, which he named Geographe Bay. (Pretty sure that the local Wadandi (Noongar - Saltwater) people had actually discovered it a few thousand years earlier. They simply lacked a 20-gun Serpente-class corvette to name it after). There endeth the lesson. Beautiful Geographe starts where Peel leaves off, at Preston Beach. Following the coast around the lazy arc of the Bay, it takes in the towns of Bunbury and Busselton, and turns inland to embrace the wooded hills of the Mumballup, Jarrahwood, and Millbrook State Forests. Geographe makes everybody’s life better with soft-fruited cherry and mint Shiraz, elegant, fine-grained Cabernet, crisp, tangy Sauv Blanc, and citrussy Semillon – sometimes with a kiss of oak.

Next Week: Some WA regions you’ve never heard of, and the elephant in the room...