The foregoing is a bald account of the real reasons why wine-making was established at Margaret River. The personal attitudes and influences and the background of this process have been emphasised. Technical details other than those referred to are recorded in Department of Agriculture files and other sources.
I will not detail the various developments at Vasse Felix thereafter this early period and only regret that for some reason it is impossible to convey in words that period when wine at Margaret River was a desert, and a curious one at that.
It is wonderful to see the developments in processes and techniques since then but it is frustrating to suspect that it will be a long time, if ever, before we know what grape varieties to use, what clones we should have, what trellis-systems, whether irrigation should be used and if so, when and how much, and many other things. It is hard indeed to understand why the area’s reputation was not protected by the “Regional Wine Origin” labelling scheme.
It is now hard to appreciate the situation when the first wines were developed south of Busselton by people with no horticultural or wine-making experience or training. This account is about that situation. It beggars a rational explanation why voluntary regional wine origin certification (which had a successful trial in the 1970s) has not been maintained. Margaret River’s repute is its most important attribute and it is vital to protect it.
A record of the general background and salient features : A record of some of the lesser-known influences and happenings : A first-hand individual record of events.
Part Twelve:
Summary
at
1:01 AM
Labels: 12 - Summary