Great Southern - Western Australia

A rectangle of 150 kilometres from north to south and 100 kilometres from east to west this region lives up to its name as the Great Southern.

There are five sub regions in the Great Southern region. They are; Albany, Denmark, Frankland River, Mt Barker and The Porongorups.

In the late 1950's the Western Australian Government was concerned with the failing apple industry in the Great Southern area. So they invited Professor Olmo, a word class viticulturist from California and Dr. Penfold Hyland from NSW, to visit the region to see if it was viable to set up a Grape growing industry.

Due to its closeness to the sea, the climate is cool making for ideal grape growing conditions which, combined with its vast space, adds to huge potential.

The most important wine of the region is Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon – it is claimed that their quality equals that of those from South Australia.

The extremely popular Cabernet Sauvignon grows through out the entire region, and its intense flavours make it the model of a classic red.

WA's coolest wine growing region, the Great Southern boasts the warm days and cool nights that are so beneficial for a premium wine – grape growing. The regional rainfall is a relatively low 600 – 700mm per annum, helping promote more intense fruit.

Soil type varies from gravely sandy loams with good drainage to granite and gneissio sandy loams, to the highly fertile rich karri loams around Denmark that require careful vine management. Fertility and typical yields are moderate to low in most areas, encouraging excellent fruit intensity.