VITICULTURE
MARGARET RIVER GI
REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
Margaret River sits in the middle of the Naturaliste-Leeuwin Capes Region of south-western Western Australia - a peninsula just under 100 kms in length stretching from Cape Naturaliste in the North to Cape Leeuwin in the South.
It is bordered on 3 sides by oceans: The Indian Ocean (to the North and West) and the Southern Ocean (to the South).
“The Naturaliste-Leeuwin Capes Region is one of the most remarkable and geographically isolated wine regions in the world, bestowed with ancient soils and a unique biodiversity: 80% of its plant species are found nowhere else in the world.“
Margaret River Wine Association
"Margaret River has the most reliable climate of all the major wine regions - indeed all - of Australia. It's latitude and ever-present maritime influence of the Indian Ocean combine to give it high winter rainfall and a very even accumulation of heat throughout the growing season"
James Halliday, Wine Companion
CANOPY STRUCTURE & MANAGEMENT
Vine rows are oriented north-south, and a vertical shoot positioning trellis system is used throughout Cape Landing.
Managing the vine canopy (the portion of a vine above the ground formed by the shoot system – the leaves, petioles, shoot stems, shoot tips, lateral shoots and tendrils, and the fruit, trunk and cordon/canes) and manipulation of the canopy microclimate, is our primary consideration and a key indicator of superior quality wines.
CANOPY MANAGEMENT
Open canopies improve spray coverage but use of canopy management techniques becomes even more important late in the season when withholding periods imposed by the Australian Wine Research Institute restrict late season use of sprays.
Leaf/shade reduction is applied selectively, and as required, to different vine varieties.
Our white grape varieties, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, generally have varied levels of shade retained throughout the growing season to protect fruit from over exposure to sunlight.
In contrast, our red grape varieties, Shiraz and, in particular, Cabernet Sauvignon, are typically exposed to sunlight throughout the entire growing season.