The wines of WA have a short history and vieilles vignes are very rare compared to Europe. The WA wines include the regions of Swan, Perth Hills, Peel, Geographe, Margaret River, Blackwood, Manjimump, Pemberton (Pemberton has become synonymous with wines of an extraordinary quality and is often compared ot the Burgundy region of France. Pemberton […]
The cornerstones bringing exitement to our annual visits still include Chateuneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vaqueyras and Carianne. To most people the southern sector is known for producing a vast volume of low-priced, baseline, heady Côtes du Rhône of marginal interest, lacking finesse and complexity. However, this sector has many other wines to offer, particularly from […]
Vineyards of the Rhône strech some 200 km from Vienne to Avignon. Two separate areas exist: the northern Rhône (NR) between Condrieu south of Vienne and St. Péray, and the southern Rhône (SR) making up the rest. This area has held vineyards since Roman times, owned by hands – on workers. Major differences exist between […]
Geographically the Côtes du Rhône AC includes parts of the northern Rhône in addition to the southern Rhône, extending over six departements and some 100 km from north to south. The vineyard area covers 44,735 ha, while its superior AC, Côtes du Rhône-Village only includes 3,662 ha. The maximum permitted yields include 50 hl/ha and […]
The bedrock, soil, drainage and microclimate change repeatedly, and for the same reasons the wines of the villages along the hillside might taste different, just as major variations exist within each commune. For these reasons generalizations are hard to make! Côte de Nuits produces almost exclusively red wine, while Côte de Beaune produces both red […]
The legendary wine-producing area known as Burgundy includes five regions. The best known and most prestigious wines come from Chablis or Côte d’Or, which encompasses the famous Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. The southern part of Côte d’Or continues into the fragmented and less explored Côte Chalonaise and Mâconnais area. Beaujolais represents the […]
King George Sound, sitting astride one of the main shipping routes between Eastern Australia, Europe, India and Singapore, was quickly recognised as being of strategic importance with its protected waters and supplies of fresh water and provisions. During World War I, several convoys carrying ANZAC troops to Gallipoli and the Western Front assembled in King […]
The first recorded sighting of the south coast of Western Australia and the entrance to King George Sound was in January and February 1627 by Hans Thyssen and Pieter Nuyts on board the Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) ship, Gulden Zeepaerdt. The first record of whaling at Albany was in 1800 with the arrival of the […]
The quaint coastal resort town of Margaret River is located in the Augusta-Margaret River Shire, 283 kms from Perth in the South-West Region of Western Australia.The region is known for rich agricultural soils, hardwood forests and wineries. The major industries include viticulture and wine production, dairy and beef cattle, sheep, horticulture, fishing, surfing and tourism. […]
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the state capital, Perth, and Mandurah. Bunbury is a cosmopolitan city almost an Island, Bunbury is surrounded by water. The rumbling surf of the Indian Ocean, the calm waters of Koombana Bay and the peaceful Leschenault Inlet offer unique lifestyle and […]