The Margaret River Wine Industry Association is one of the success stories of regional non-profit organisations.
Started by a group of winemakers back in the late 1970's, the Margaret River Grape Growers & Winemakers Association as it was known then, was incorporated in 1982 and at that time had only a handful of members. The charter of the Association has remained constant over the years - primarily to represent the interests of the Margaret River wine industry and promote Margaret River wine.
The Association and its members was one of the first groups in Australia to register a geographic boundary for our region. Indeed Margaret River was one of the first 3 wine regions in Australia to have its boundaries legally defined.
The Margaret River Wine Industry Association, as it is now known, continues to attract strong membership from within the region.
Current membership is over 300 including wine producers, grape growers, individuals, consultants, commercial partners and associated industry bodies.
The objects of the association are:
- To encourage and promote excellence in the production of wine and the growing of grapes within the Designated Area
- To foster the development of the Designated Area for the production of high quality wine and the growing of premium grapes
- To conduct and aid research into viticulture and wine-making
- To safeguard and promote interests of members of the Association and generally to benefit them
- To encourage the appreciation of and to promote the consumption in moderation of wine produced by members of the Association
- To do all such other things as the Association may consider incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects or any of them
Committee Structure
MRWIA is lead by an elected Executive Committee. Committee members are:
| President | Peter Wood | Stella Bella Wines |
|---|---|---|
| Vice President | Leah Clearwater | Clearwater Viticulture Consulting |
| Natalie Burch | Howard Park Wines | |
|
Nigel Gallop | Fraser Gallop Wines |
|
Bruce Pearse | Pearse Viticulture |
|
Ianto Ward | AHA Viticulture |
|
Brad Wehr | Wine by Brad |
|
Virginia Willcock | Vasse Felix |
| Hon. Treasurer | Alex Smith | Forrest Partners |
