Brilliant wines from Australia's Margaret River

Telegraph

28-02-2025

There are a few famous exceptions but it's now more common to explore wine by grape before getting to know it by region. If I were to make a shortlist of wine regions worth knowing a bit about, though, Margaret River would definitely be on there.
A paradise of wild surf and lofty karri trees on the south-western tip of Australia, Margaret River has one of the longest unbroken continuous human occupations in the world; the Wadandi (saltwater) people have been here for 60,000 years. And while a recent upgrade of the local Busselton airport brought Margaret River a little closer to the always-on of the globalised world with a handful of weekly flights from Sydney and Melbourne, there's still a sense of seclusion. Most non-working visitors arrive slowly, on the long road south from Perth, a three-hour drive with the expanse of the Indian Ocean somewhere to your right and the warm sun bringing the scent of bushland into the car.
Once you're there, Margaret River is, for Australia, green and lush: 46 per cent is native forest. The wine scene blossomed in the 1960s. It was pioneered by ultra-can-do types like Dr Tom Cullity, a cardiologist who, intent on making fine wine, founded Vasse Felix; and Kevin and Di Cullen, who somehow planted their eponymous wine estate while also running a 2,000-acre sheep and cattle farm, raising six children and keeping Kevin's GP career on track.
Today, this is a boutique region that encompasses around 200 producers and represents less than two per cent of Australia's average annual crush. If you're buying a bottle in the UK, you're likely to be spending around £13 or more (it was £12 but everything has gone up since the duty changes on Feb 1). On the upside, it's rare to happen on a disappointing bottle. Grape-variety-wise? For reds, we're looking at shiraz (about 14.5 per cent of Margaret River's production) that often smells of damsons and mulberries. Also cabernet sauvignon (19.5 per cent) that marries a sense of restraint with pure yet earthy fruit: one good example is South by South West Vagabondo 2022 Margaret River, Australia (13.5%, The Wine Society, £14.95), which is a Bordeaux-like blend of 50/50 cabernet-merlot that marries easy-going drinkability with subtle oak and notes of cassis and tobacco.
In white wines, there's chardonnay (17.3 per cent) characterised by fuller flavours licked into shape with a refreshing twang of acidity; also (a favourite style for me) blends of semillon (16.5 per cent) and sauvignon blanc (18.2 per cent) that taste like lemongrass sorbet with a hint of lychee and a riffle of sea air and are really good with prawn brioche rolls or fish and mango tortillas.
Among Margaret River wine producers there is a perpetual and very notable drive for higher and higher quality. Of all the wine regions I've visited, this one stands out for the attention it pays to every detail, using its isolation to make itself a beacon rather than a backwater. For instance, Cullen Wines hosts an annual Chardonnay Tasting – now in its 40th year – in which the local wines are benchmarked against the best from elsewhere in the world. In terms of food and wine, a trip to Margaret River is one of the finest gourmet vineyard experiences you can have. While producers are also on the front line when it comes to sustainability; the Margaret River Wine Association has just launched a new glass lightweighting initiative that aims to reduce carbon emissions by more than 20 per cent by moving to sleeker, lighter bottles.
Margaret River's are pristine wines that reflect the region's immaculate landscape. Drink them.