Easy Guide to Food And Drinks

There are few if any Australian wine regions that can quite match the majestic beauty and splendour of Western Australia’s Margaret River. First there are the pristine white beaches that stretch up and down the coast. Behind the sand dunes lie rolling hills. It is a place that draws people from around the world, such is the mix of natural beauty, attractions and the enviable lifestyle.

But the sailing in Margaret River has not always been so smooth. In the mid 60’s when the first ideas were floated of grapes being grown here, the area was in a slump. The once popular timber industry had almost disappeared. The locals were looking for something to help bring them out of the economic dip they had fallen in to. And along came Dr John Gladstones, whom after a little study reckoned that Margaret River might be a special place to grow grapes. Soon plantings began and the area would be changed forever.

First Tom Cullity at Vasse Felix, then Di and Kevin Cullen at Cullen and finally Bill Pannell at Moss Wood put experimental vineyards in the ground, wines from which quickly showcased the areas potential. Now with over 120 producers in the region, Margaret River is without doubt one of our greatest Australian fine wine zones, and the equal of icons such as the Barossa and Yarra Valleys. Local names such as Moss Wood, Cullen and Leeuwin Estate sit comfortably among the greatest Australian producers, with their wines highly sought both here and overseas.

One of the region’s most enduring qualities is the vitality of the local people. There is a great belief in what Margaret River has to offer. The winemakers aspire to not only make wines that match up to the best from Australia but stand up as great wines of the world. You see it in the eyes of producers such as Keith Mugford from Moss Wood, Mike Peterkin of Pierro and Vanya Cullen of Cullen. There is a great self-assuredness that never shows arrogance. And they back it up with brilliance in a bottle.

In terms of quality, while the old firm of Leeuwin Estate, Moss Wood, Vasse Felix, Cullen, Cape Mentelle, Howard Park and Pierro still are generally responsible for the region’s greatest wines, underneath there is a growing band of producers knocking on the door. Woodlands and the revitalised Xanadu immediately come to mind as two wineries with great potential but probably the most exciting of such ventures, and one that is quickly rising to be among Margaret River’s best, is Voyager Estate.

The original vines of Voyager Estate were first planted in 1978, under the name of Freycinet Estate. These vineyards, in 1991, were bought and significantly expanded on.. This was a masterstroke because the area has since become known as ‘Golden triangle of Chardonnay’.
Driving through Margaret River, it is impossible to miss Voyager Estate. South of the township and closely located to Leeuwin Estate, it is marked by a huge flagpole as well as the large Cape Dutch style building which sits amongst magnificent grounds. While the built environment is slick, it is what’s in the local vineyards and winery that really impresses. What is patently clear here is that in all facets of the Voyager Estate operation everything is done with perfection as the ultimate goal. And no one better exemplifies this than winemaker Cliff Royle

I first met Cliff before a tasting of some barrels that would end up in his Cabernet Merlot blend from the highly acclaimed 2007 vintage, and he was a little nervous. Not because he didn’t believe in the wines rather it was more like a father for his child – he wasn’t quite ready to let his wines out into the big, wide world in case they didn’t put their best foot forward, as young wines often do. Well he needn’t have worried because they were absolutely superb. The 2007 vintage won’t be released for a few years.

The current releases from Voyager Estate include three wines you have to try. The first is their renowned Chardonnay from the icy Margaret River vintage of 2006. While reds have been hard for some in 2006, the whites are superb with intense fruit and acidity. The 2006 Voyager Chardonnay ($35) has powerful peach and citrus on a taut and youthful palate with a little creamy complexity and brilliant length. It is one of the best 2006 Chardonnays. My favourite for drinking now is the 2005 Shiraz ($35). Generally the Margaret River doesn’t make standout Shiraz, but this is a wonderful example of dense cool climate Shiraz with clove and blackberry fruit lifted by hints of violets and licorice. In the mouth there is such a youthful feel and plenty of vitality that it will only get better over the next decade. The nest known wines from Voyager Estate is the Cabernet Merlot ($60), with the 2004 release one of their best so far. This wine is built for the long term with gravelly cassis and blackberry fruit rounded out nicely with subtle notes of olive and oak. In the mouth there is great generosity of fruit that is currently bound up in its significant structure. In ten to fifteen years it will be a wonderful drop too drink.

Ascend into the small towns huddled around the towering Mount Macedon such as Woodend or Kyneton, which are located an hour North-West of Melbourne, and you can’t fail to miss the faintly Northern European feel of the place. Perhaps it is the crisp bite of a cool Spring day, the historical streetscapes or the patches of greenery from the recent winter rains but this is a unique and beautiful landscape.

Unsurprisingly within this cool environment, which encompasses a multitude of hills and valleys, are pockets of vineyards that are creating exquisite, modern styles of Australian wine. Yet, despite the obvious potential and some brilliant wines, for many the Macedon, surprisingly, remains an unknown.

The lack of any one strong brand driving the region’s fortunes certainly doesn’t help. And if the truth be told, no big company would even consider large-scale plantings here – the challenges are just too great and the yields low. But for those vignerons that identify the right site and then put their all into grafting a quality product, there are tremendous rewards to reap. To date, the best known wines of the Macedon have been the local pinot noirs and chardonnays from the likes of Curly Flat and Bindi, with others such as Lanes End and Paramoor also showing promise. There is an Aladdin’s cave of potential sites yet to be explored; it seems more than likely that the quality of product in the Macedon is destined to go from strength to strength over the next ten to twenty years.

Recently at the Macedon Show I was again reminded that, while pinot noir and chardonnay have driven the region’s fortunes to date, the region also has a knack of consistently turning out some of Australia’s greatest Sparkling wines. back in the old days that may not have meant so much but from cool mainland regions, today lead by the Macedon, as well as Tasmania, more and more locally produced wines are really challenging the quality of fine French Champagne. The Macedon in particular instils in its best wines a delicacy and purity of acidity that is remarkably reminiscent of fine French bubbly. It’s no surprise in that vineyards in both the Macedon and Champagne are some of the coolest. The resulting wines their much-praised elegance while keeping intact a rigid core of acidity.

At the 2009 Macedon show, two sparkling wines, stood out, and both from the same producer. The first was the Mount William Blanc de Blanc from 2001, a sparkling chardonnay that is still remarkably fresh and alive. And the second is the Mount William ‘Jorja Alexis’ Pinot Noir Rosé from 2003, a very pretty and subtle wine with multiple layers of red berry fruit with subtle earthy nuances in a supremely balanced and silky package.