Variables and management influence yields of Margaret River Vineyards

By Lou | April 30, 2025
A wicker woven basket held by a chef wearing a white chef's uniform only the basket, hands and part of the torso are shown. Some green leaves and a little of the rendered white walls of the kitchen garden border the image to the top left and bottom left of the image respectively

Unlocking the Potential: Grape Juice Yields and Management of Margaret River Vineyards Margaret River, nestled in Western Australia’s southwest corner, has earned its reputation as one of Australia’s premier wine regions. Beyond exceptional wines, the region’s vineyards also produce significant quantities of high-quality grape juice. Let’s explore the world of grape juice yields in the…

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The sweet finish with a strange beginning

By Lou | May 24, 2021
Three dark coloured plates have small cut samples of cheese however only the middle plate with a hard cheese that appears to be vintage cheddar is in focus. The plates take up the central parts of the image and are set on a white bench with a glass lid and a mustard coloured shirt making up the background.

In the Margaret River wine region, a popular style of wine that features botrytis is known as cane cut, named after the technique of cutting the fruiting canes and leaving them to hang while the sweetness and flavour of the berries concentrates. Cane cut wines can be made from many different varietals and is a labour of love for many winemakers. The resulting mini-sized bottles of joy are a delicious finale to special dinners or cheese platters and are likely to cellar very well. Securing a few of Margaret River’s ‘noble stickies’ is a great investment, either to drink now or save for a rainy day.

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Why do winemakers use oak?

By Lou | September 19, 2020
A woman with long orange-red hair and wearing a brown jacket is standing side on and looking towards the camera in the centre and foreground and on either side of her the ends of four wine barrels showing that she is standing in the barrel room of Leeuwin Estate winery

An oaked (or wooded) wine may be an acquired taste, but is a highly prized flavour for many wine lovers. Oak barrel fermentation adds a range of flavours to wine including vanilla, cloves, butter, popcorn, toast, spice and char. Oak also provides complexity to a wine’s aroma and taste. The porous nature of oak allows…

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50 Years Young

By Lou | January 4, 2018
A black and white image of Tom Cullity the original vigneron at Vasse Felix wearing a black beret and black rimmed glasses, knee length gum boots, baggy black pants and a white shirt He is standing alongside and in front of rowsof some very small grape vines and one of them he is holding a growing runner up to a wire. The soild is very gravelly and peppered with weeds. In the background there are some large eucalyptus trees that border the fledgling vineyard. It is said that at the time Tom was aged 43, a frequently used iconic image when visually demonstrating thehistory of Margaret River wine region

Farewell 2017 – the year we celebrated 50 years of commercial winemaking in Margaret River. As we await the ripening, picking and pressing of the 2018 vintage in the Margaret River Wine Region, I thought it might be of interest to reflect on the history of the region so far. In 2017 Vasse Felix celebrated…

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