December 2006
Cabernet and Cool Whites Wine Judges' Praise
Margaret River’s terrior has proven its consistency, according to outgoing Commonwealth Bank 2006 Margaret River Wine Show Chairman of Judges Brian Croser.
Mr Croser told attendees at the Exhibitor Tasting, he had found a discernable pattern over his three years as Chairman.
“Much of the outstanding characteristics are imposed by the terroir of the region, much to your good luck and good management,” he said.
Mr Croser was full of praise for the white varieties coming out of the cooler Southern parts of the region, comparing the Sauvignon Blancs to those being produced in New Zealand’s famed Marlborough region.
“There was some great aged Semillon, which were nearly as good as the best of the Hunter. Outstanding quality,” he said.
Mr Croser also described the Cabernet classes as ‘outstanding’, declaring Margaret River to be the best place to produce Cabernet at the moment.
However he controversially maintained his position against locally produced Shiraz, by far the largest class represented at the Show.
“Shiraz just doesn’t suit a maritime climate. They were adequate but uniformly lack form.”
Panel chair Louisa Rose said she was generally impressed by the wines, particularly of the varieties expected from Margaret River, calling the SSB blends a ‘real joy’.
Soil Credited for Best Wine Win
Yallingup winery Windance
Estate took the top honours at last month’s Commonweal
th Bank 2006 Margaret River Wine Show.
The Windance 2004 Cabernet Merlot took Best Wine of Show, after Best Cabernet Sauvignon Predominate Award.
Rosemary Brent-White said she was ’over the moon’, and attributed the win to the fruit quality produced on the family’s 7.5ha property.
“It is a natural vineyard. We have followed environmentally sound farming practices, natural fertilisers, no insectides from day one when we planted the vines. It’s the soils,” she said.
305 medals were awarded, which saw about 41 per cent of entries picking up gold, silver or bronze.
A record 740 entries were judged during the two days, coming from 128 exhibitors. This included 16 exhibitors in the new Non-Commercial classes, the majority being students keen to get expert appraisal on their wines.
Dentis
t Turned Vigneron Takes Prestigious Cabernet Award
Aged vines, attention to detail and hard work have combined to give George Heydon a trophy for his first wine entered into a Wine Show.
George co-founded Arlewood with the Gosatti family before the land was subdivided, leaving George with some of the oldest vines on the estate.
“It is the first wine I have personally shown but the block has
produced trophy wines,” he said.
“It was my vision to produce iconic, handmade, no compromise wines. We produce small quantities but done to the best quality. It is all about attention to detail.”
A practicing dentist, George took on winemaking/ viticulture studies part time, travelling to Margaret River each weekend for over 10 years.
Three years ago, he and wife Mary moved permanently, which he admits makes working full time and managing the vineyard a lot easier.
Having planted another 3ha in 2005, expect more from Heydon Vineyard in the future.
| Trophy | Winning Wine |
| Best Wine of Show Sponsored by MRWIA |
Windance 2004 Cabernet Merlot |
| Most Successful Exhibitor Sponsored by Visy |
Evans & Tate |
| Best Cabernet Sauvignon Sponsored by Laffort Oenologie |
Heydon Vineyard 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Best Chardonnay Sponsored by Portavin |
Cape Mentelle 2005 Chardonnay |
| Best Museum Sponsored by MRWIA |
Brookland Valley 2002 Reserve Chardonnay |
| Award | Winning Wine |
| Best Cabernet Predominate Blend Sponsored by Cospak/ O-I |
Windance 2004 Cabernet Merlot |
| Best Sauvignon Blanc Sponsored by Amcor Fibre Packaging |
Hamelin Bay 2006 Sauvignon Blanc |
| Best Semillon Sponsored by Lableworld |
Brookland Valley 2005 Semillon |
| Best Semillon/ Sauvignon Blanc Blend Sponsored by Vinline Bottling and Filtration |
Flinders Bay Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2006 |
Viticulturalists Recognised in New Award
Good wine starts with good fruit. With this in mind, the Margaret River Wine Industry Association has created the new Viticultural Excellence award.
The award will publically acknowledge the vital importance of viticulture as a cornerstone of Margaret River’s premium wine region.
The Viticultural Excellence award will also recognise a specific Viticulturalist’s outstanding achievement within the Margaret Rive wine industry.
Entrants will be required to manage at least one vineyard for the production of grapes for vinification within the Margaret River GI.
Judging will be conducted by an independent panel and could include a physical assessment of the vineyard.
To promote continued education and best practice, the award winning Viticulturalist will be flown to France - courtesy of sponsor Traveller’s Choice, to examine current French viticultural practices. That person will be also asked to produce a short report or presentation in Margaret River to share the knowledge gained in France.
DEC Explains Prescribed Burns Amid Smoke Taint Fears
The Department of Environment and Conservation visited Margaret River to address viticulturalists at the Margaret River TAFE campus in November.
Regional Fire Coordinator John Tillman explained DEC’s mandate to manage prescribed fires to protect and promote the conservation of biodiversity and natural values whilst also providing for protection of human life and community
assets.
In the Southwest Forest Regions, DEC sets an annual target of 200,000ha per annum. For the Department’s Southwest Region, contribution to target is 65 to 70,000ha each year.
Viticulturalists heard about DEC’s approval process for commencing a burn, which included forecasting expected smoke patterns via the Bureau of Meteorology’s smoke modeling.
To conduct a burn, there must be mild, stable conditions (e.g. South East winds with an afternoon sea breeze).
John said while every effort to predict weather patterns was
taken, smoke drift could travel large distances.
Smoke found over the Margaret River region may not come from a fire within the South West.
The Margaret River Wine Industry Association and DEC is building a better working relationship to ensure members can easily access information on the prescribed burn program and get advance warning on burns taking place.
DEC is cooperating with the Department of Agriculture & Food WA and Curtin University on research project Smoke Taint in Grapes and Wines. It also has a representative on the WA Wine Taint Working Group.
A Message from the President
We promised you a bigger and better Wine Show, and from the feedback, we have delivered on both of our promises.
This Show was the culmination of a lot of effort - the MRWIA staff, led by Nick Power, the Wine Show Technical Committee, chaired by Richard Rowe, the Judges, the Stewards, and of course, our sponsors.
We would like to give a special mention to the Commonwealth Bank for its continued support of the industry.
We would like to say a special thank you to Voyager Estate for giving us the opportunity to hold our Wine Show Gala Awards in its Barrel Room, which was such a spectacular venue.
We had record entries this year. For the third year running we had Brian Croser as Chairman of Judges. This has been a major commitment by Brian to our region and we believe he has helped us to elevate the profile of the Wine Show to where it is today on the national stage. We had our first International Judge, Bill Baker and a line up of top quality Judges from around Australia to make sure the show was a great success.
Then there were the entrants, who not only make a major contribution to the Show’s success but to our region throughout the year.
Congratulations to the trophy winners and medal winners. For those who did not receive a medal, the fact that you participate makes the Show what it is today.
Bigger and better for 2007 will be a major challenge. We have started by introducing our new Viticultural Award.
We wish you all a safe and happy Christmas a wonderful new year and a great 2007 vintage.
- Ron Fraser
