Trevor Kent, Cullen Wines, Margaret River from Alan Kropf on Vimeo.

In TGAWM: Margaret River 1, we took a general look at the Margaret River wine region of Australia, and in TGAWM: Margaret River 2, we explored style and varietals of the region with a focus on cooler climate shiraz.

In this most glorious third installment, we take a look at biodynamic practices in Margaret River, featuring the exceptionally delicious wines of Cullen Wines.

Cullen has established an international reputation for its biodynamic practices in the region, with the Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietal wines highly sought after.

According to Cullen Production Manager Trevor Kent, “I think somewhere like Bordeaux might struggle a bit more with humidity, but we’re lucky to have a good mediterranean climate that allows us to get through the ripening period without too much disease pressure.”

Here are some Margaret River wineries that are either biodynamic certified or employ biodynamic practices in their vineyard. There is a bit of a grey area as many Margaret River vineyards use some biodynamic and organic practices without stating it publicly.

24 Karat

Clown Fish

Cullen Wines

Heydon Estate

Jindong Moon

Marri Wood Park

Three Boys

Here are some links to Australian Sustainability Organizations:

National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia
Biological Farmers of Australia
Biodynamic Agriculture Australia

A visit to another Margaret River heavy hitter, Moss Wood, led to some interesting cellar conversations in regarding the use of native yeast vs. commercial yeast with the great Keith Mugford, wine maker at Moss Wood. I pulled him aside after the tasting for him to summarize his thoughts:

Keith Mugford, Moss Wood, Margaret River from Alan Kropf on Vimeo.

And just because, here’s some calming time-lapsed clouds at Leeuwin Estate in Margaret River.

Margaret River Zen Clouds from Alan Kropf on Vimeo.

Next up in the The Great Aussie Wine Mutiny: Mornington Peninsula. YES.

Video by Alan Kropf, Mutineer Magazine

We’re back with another installment of The Great Aussie Wine Mutiny. In the last TGAWM, we took a broad look at Margaret River in southwest Australia near Perth. The wines burst with character that is the reflection of the cool climate terroir, and the local shiraz takes on a very different personality from the bombastic shiraz of Barossa Valley. Now, as a God-fearing wine writer I will drink bombastic Barossa Valley shiraz with great enthusiasm, but these Margaret River shiraz wines are layered and complex works of elegance with an identity all their own.

“The styles that we’re trying to produce here, and certainly at Xanadu, are a lot finer, more elegant, and in my opinion, a little bit more food friendly,” says Glenn Goodall, winemaker at Xanadu Wines. “Margaret River is probably most well recognized by its cabernet, its chardonnay and its sauvignon blanc/semillon blends. Shiraz, historically over the last few years, has probably played second fiddle to those other varieties.”

Video courtesy of Xanadu Wines

Cabernet sauvignon is the flagship red of the region, with the region’s top producers making cabs that can hang with the best in the world. Moss Wood, Cullen, Cape Mentelle and Leeuwin Estate all come to mind.

Beyond the brilliant cabernet sauvignon monologues, Bordeaux-style meritage blends are also pretty damn amazing, and the inspired use of petit verdot and malbec by winemaker Virginia Willcock in Vasse Velix’s Heytesbury red resulted in something of a fine beverage religious experience for me. I’m talking about a wide-eyed and giggly symphony of complex aromas that are all familiar to me from the countless meritage blends I’ve consumed in my days, yet expressed in a very spectacular way.

As crucial as the petit verdot and malbec are to this blend, for Willcock they are really supporting actors to the lead that is cabernet sauvignon:

“Cabernet [sauvignon] is king in Margaret River and all I want to do is find something that is going to bring cabernet to wonderful heights, and I think petit verdot and malbec can do it. Petit verdot brings violets, orange peel, acid structure and incredibly intense tannins. Malbec spice, voluptuousness and beauty.”

Video by Alan Kropf, Mutineer Magazine

Margaret River, Australia. This is where The Great Aussie Wine Mutiny shall begin.

Located on the southwest corner of Australia, Margaret River is not an easy place to get to. One must fly into Perth and then drive for several hours south to get to the region, which has only been producing wine commercially since the late 1960s / early 1970s.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are the star grape varieties. The wines are stylistically cool-climate, which is a significant departure from the big and bombastic styles from other Aussie flagship wine regions such as Barossa Valley with it’s colossal shiraz wines.

To put it in perspective, Australian wine broker Langtons releases a classification of Australian wines every five years for its clients. There are four categories of classification, with Exceptional being the highest, and out of the 17 wines in the Exceptional category, three are from Margaret River: Cullen Wines, Leeuwin Estate and Moss Wood. Pierro, Cape Mentelle, Vasse Felix, Voyager Estate and Woodlands also appear in other categories in the classification.

The beaches near Margaret River are world-renowned surfing destinations, combining with wine tourism to attract visitors from around the world. The sunsets aren’t bad either.

Want to win a trip to Australia? It’s never been easier. All you have to do is submit a name for Mollydooker’s newest wine and you might find yourself on a flight to down under, where there have been rumors of sightings of Mutineer Magazine’s Alan Kropf in recent months.

See below for more information on the Mollydooker contest.

McLaren Vale, Australia, August 1, 2011— What’s in a name? You tell us. Mollydooker, the fun-filled Australian winery, is on a worldwide search for the perfect name for its newest wine. The winning name will forever be displayed on the label of their new Sparkling Shiraz and will become part of the flavorful family of award winning Mollydooker wines.

Contestants can find the guidelines and enter their name suggestions online at online, the contest closes on September 4, 2011 and the winner will be announced on September 15, 2011 (International Mollydooker Day) at the Mollydooker Winemaker’s Dinner at the Palomar Hotel, Washington D.C.

I can’t say much about the beer as I’ve never had it .. and the reviews that I have seen haven’t been too friendly towards the beer. BUT, this is probably one of the raddest and most mutinous commercials for beer that I’ve ever seen. In words of Vatican assassin Charlie Sheen, “Duh, winning.”

What’s not to love? The malt gets to hop around on some sweet subwoofers before being milled by Conan the Barbarian looking dudes and then it gets to watch some sweet old school kung fu movies. Then it’s off to the mash tun where the milled grain is mixed with hot water to extract the sugars from the starch, powered by a Delorean monster truck no less. After that, it’s treated to some mad bass from a sick drummer before being poured over a tower of pure winning. Next it’s off to a huge fermenter that’s wrapped in garb that only Elvis could be proud of. Next, of course, it’s pumped through a life size plastic panther, in through the paw and out through the tail. If you’re rich enough, you have the option to fly your helicopter to the brewery and pour yourself a pint while in flight. If not, you’ll have to wait for for a bottle that has been capped by hand by a ferret at your local bar.

For more on Hahn beer, check out their website.

Vodka has been made from potatoes, grains and even corn — but in Australia’s Barossa Valley, they are using grapes. Grapes from this region are only the first step in the process of making this high-end libation, aptly named Boomerang Vodka. Fosters, the makers of the famous “Lager” and proprietors of Fosters wine estate, collaborated with Chris Williams of Wattle Creek Winery in the famed Sonoma Valley to bring a taste of uniqueness and of Aussie life to the people of the U.S. Continue Reading »

Some of my most memorably unmemorable days happen in college as a result of boxed wine. Ah the stories of doing “boxed wine stands” are not very pretty. But hey, it was college dude. It happens.

Although my taste in wine has become significantly more sophisticated since then, I am humble enough to admit that there is, in fact, a time and place for … gulp … boxed wine. Continue Reading »