Margaret River in Western Australia has shot to stardom in a very short period of time, and what has been described as looking like a ‘depleted Black African Township in the mid 1960’s is now recognised as one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon wine growing areas in the world.

Names like Moss Wood, Cullen and Vasse Felix are now well known, but in the early 1970’s these were run by the hard working wives, whose husbands continued to run their surgeries to make ends meet. They had all been enthused by Western Australia’s scientist, Dr John Gladstones, whose papers highlighted the area as extremely favourable for viticulture, given its soils and climate.

Dr Tom Cullity founded Vasse Felix in 1967, this was followed by Dr Bill and Sandra Pannell at Moss Wood, and then Dr Kevin and Di Cullen at Cullen. All three of these vineyards are situated in the Willyabrup area, near Cowaramup in the heartland of Margaret River, with Cullen and Vasse Felix directly next door to each other with Moss Wood just down the road. It would seem that Gladstones was correct in his findings. These early pioneers were followed by the likes of the Hohnen family at Cape Mentelle, where David Hohnen continued his early rise to stardom, winning the Royal Melbourne Show Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy in 1983 &1984, and on to founding Cloudy Bay in New Zealand. 

Tom Cullity, a heart specialist, passed the reigns in 1976 to Ann & David Gregg, who had arrived at Vasse Felix a few years earlier from Sweden, and were originally cheese makers. Today Vasse Felix is run by the Homes `a Court family and produces some 125,000 cases of wine per year which dwarfs Cullen’s 18,000 cases and Moss Wood’s 11,000 cases. Tom Cullity is still alive, although slightly eccentric, as is David Gregg who has turned his hand to making exquisite wooden furniture.

  Bill and Sandra Pannell sold Moss Wood onto their young winemaker, Keith Mugford, Bill continued his quest and passion for the Pinot Noir grape, and is now established at Picardy in Pemberton, where he produces outstanding Pinot’s and Chardonnay, but that is another story. Bill is legendary for his quest for the perfect soil, and after dusk forays with his pregnant wife Sandra and a spade, digging around the farmlands of Margaret River in the late 1960’s which goes down in folklore.       

Moss Wood although originally recognised for sublime Cabernet Sauvignons, has reached hedonistic heights with Chardonnay, Semillon and in some years Pinot. Keith Mugford was also the first premium wine maker in Australia to move to screw tops / stelvin. Recently Keith has acquired Ribbon Vale, a nearby vineyard to enlarge his portfolio.

The Cullen name is famous for pioneering female winemakers, firstly the late Di and now her daughter Vanya. A warm and friendly establishment, oozing with personality. Cullen is famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend, and the 2001 and future releases will now be attributed to the great Di Cullen. Vanya in recent years has established not only a great Chardonnay, but also a Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot Blend, called Mangan. Together with their Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, which is one of the most exciting from Australia, this small world-class winery offers a superb harmony of wines.

The Margaret River area is awash with vineyards; ‘ a heady attraction for the wine buff – a tantalising choice between the classic traditional wineries, shoestring operations, and modern state of the art facilities’ (quoted from Ray Jordon’s Wine Guide) With over 70 top quality vineyards it is difficult to visit them all, but not to be missed are; Brookland, Pierro, Xanadu, Voyager, Howard Park, Palandri and Green Valley (Keith Mugford is the advisor).

Margaret River Restaurants

For sheer elegance and top quality try Leeuwin Estate , which has a serious restaurant,  Art Series Chardonnay that is rated as one of the best from Australia and a World Class Concert programme every year.(www.leeuwinestate.com.au)

Margaret River has plenty of top quality Lodges to stay in, and the town itself has some great places to eat including VAT 107(www.vat107.com.au) which is very relaxed but serves top quality food and a superb wine list, although for the finest wine list in the area you must visit Winos, which has even more back vintages of Moss Wood than we have.