The Margaret River wine region in Australia is on of the world's most popular and vibrant ones. Covering around a hundred and twenty kilometers north to south and about twenty-eight kilometers inland, it's bordered by the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean. The quality of its table grapes has been well known since the first plantings in the late 1960s, with wine becoming famous later one.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the economy of the area was revitalized by the boost from the growing popularity of its wine. This is one of the country's fastest growing economies, and wines from the Margaret River Region have been exported worldwide for enjoyment elsewhere. There are even a few varietals that have become really famous, taking international awards for quality.

This region is one of the country's largest wine producers - about twenty percent of Australia's premium wines come from the Margaret River area. However, it's responsible for only three percent of the country's grape production. The area contains a large number of small, independent producers working to make great wines.

One of the things that makes the Margaret River region so good for wines is its climate, which some have called Mediterranean, or similar to Bordeaux dry vintages. The pleasant temperature and overall dryness are what have made the cabernet sauvignon and merlots of the area such a success. However, they're not the only great wines that you can get from Margaret River.

The area's nearness to the coast has a big influence on the region's production, and it's probably more influenced by this than any other major Australian region. The coastal location creates an even warmth, with only a seven degree variation in temperature over the course of the entire year.

Soil conditions are excellent in the Margaret River Wine Region, too - these deep loams allow the roots of the vines to dig deeply and deal with the dry summers without problems. Sloping sites are characteristic of good vineyars in the area, letting water be readily available without causing sogginess - few grapes are produced on each vine, but the ones which are have highly concentrated tastes.

The region also tends to have wet winters and relatively dry summers, with nearly perfect humidity levels at the time when the grapes need that the most. The result is a consistently high quality, deeply flavored fruit that makes excellent wine.

This fruit is generally picked in a combination of machine and hand techniques to make sure that it is harvested when it's the ripest. Harvests usually occur between February and May, with the grapes, weather, and ripening determining when it the fruit will be picked.

All of these factors are responsible for wines that have intense flavor, deep color and a real robustness. This makes Margaret River among the most magical areas for production of cabernet sauvignon and its blends, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, shiraz and many others. If you want to experience the best that these wines have to offer, you should take a look at them.

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