Greater Perth Zone, Western Australia

James Halliday on Greater Perth Zone

Quite why the boundary of the Greater Perth Zone extends so far north of Perth makes no obvious sense. On the other hand, taking in Gingin and Bindoon (60 kilometres to the north of the Swan Valley proper) makes eminent sense.

The three regions (treating the Swan Valley as tantamount to a region) would seem to have very different climates: the Swan Valley a dry, hot oven; the Perth Hills partially cooled by altitude and slope; and the western third of Peel moderated by the immediately adjacent Indian Ocean. Yet there is more to bind them and their wine styles: the core of the summer heat remains the same. Exceptions come from site climate and/or winemaking techniques – and, of course, regional blending.

The western section of Peel and what is now Geographe were originally part of a proposed region called the South West Coastal Plain. Geographe divorced itself, and while it remains a logical region, Peel was in danger of becoming an orphan as it did not have the required number of vineyards and tonnage of grape production. It was presumably for this reason that it was dramatically extended to the east, taking in country which has little in common either in terms of climate or soil with the coastal section. It is arguably the most extreme example of pragmatism by the Geographic Indications Committee, not far short of the type of ruling routinely given for American Viticultural Areas (AVAs).