Houghton Wines
Houghton Wines is an Australian winery originating in Middle Swan, in the Swan Valley wine region of Western Australia. A subsidiary of Accolade Wines, the company operates one of Western Australia's earliest established vineyards and wineries.
| Houghton Wines | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Western Australia, Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°51′15″S 115°59′56″E |
| Wine region | Margaret River, Mount Barker, Frankland River, Pemberton |
| Other labels | Crofters, Moondah Brook |
| Founded | 1836 |
| First vintage | 1859 |
| Key people | Ross Pamment, Winemaker / Manager |
| Parent company | Accolade Wines |
| Known for | Houghton White Classic |
| Varietals | Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Verdelho, Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon, Chenin blanc, Riesling, Merlot |
| Other attractions | café, picnic grounds, concerts and art gallery |
| Tasting | cellar door open 363 days a year from 10am to 5pm |
| Website | Houghton Wines |
The 50 hectares of vineyards surrounding the Swan Valley winery consist of plantings of Verdelho, Chardonnay, Sémillon and Chenin blanc. Early documentation and current research suggests the first vines were planted between 1830 and 1836. In addition Houghton operates four of Western Australia's largest vineyards at Moondah Brook (145 hectares), Pemberton (92 hectares), Mount Barker (74 hectares) and Frankland River (89 hectares), and sources fruit from Margaret River, Harvey and the Ferguson Valley.[1] Expansion into the Western Australian South West and the Great Southern wine region led to the establishment of a second winery, located at Nannup in the Blackwood Valley.
The Houghton portfolio includes the brands of Houghton Line Range, Houghton Crofters, Moondah Brook, Houghton Regional Range, Houghton Gladstone and Jack Mann.
History
The land of which Houghton was part (Swan Location II) was originally assigned by Governor James Stirling to Rivett Henry Bland in 1829.[2] In 1836, a syndicate of three British Army Officers, Houghton, Lowie and Yule (who had been serving together in India) purchased the northern half of Swan location II. The syndicate named the property Houghton after the senior ranking officer of their group, Lieutenant Colonel Richmond Houghton.
Houghton himself did not come to Western Australia and for the next 23 years the property was managed and developed by one of the members of the syndicate, Thomas Newte Yule.
In 1859, Dr John Ferguson purchased the Houghton property for the sum of 350 pounds and in that same year produced the first commercial vintage of wine from the vineyard a total of 25 imperial gallons (110 l).[3][4]
Moondyne Joe, Western Australia's most famous bushranger, was captured on the Houghton property in the act of stealing wine from the cellars on 25 February 1869.[5][6] By chance, the owner, Charles William Ferguson had been helping with a police search, and afterwards invited a group of police back to the vineyard for refreshments.[7] When Ferguson entered the cellar, Joe assumed that he was discovered, and made a dash for the door into the arms of the police.
In 1950, Valencia Vineyards, a subsidiary of the Emu Wine Company of Morphett Vale, South Australia, purchased the Houghton vineyards, winery and distillery from the Ferguson family.[4] In April 1976, the South Australian winemaking Hardy family acquired the stock of the Emu Wine Company and with that purchase, became owners of Houghton.
Jack Mann
Jack Mann (1906–1989) was considered a pioneer of Western Australia's wine industry.[8] and served a total of 51 consecutive vintages at Houghton. His awards included being awarded an MBE in 1964.[9] The West Australian newspaper included him in their list of Western Australia's 100 most influential people.[10]
One of Mann's most significant accomplishments was the creation of the Houghton White Burgundy in 1937, a full bodied chenin blanc wine. The Houghton White Burgundy was so named because the judges and winemakers at the 1937 Melbourne Wine Show likened it to the style of wines from Burgundy, France. The Houghton White Burgundy has become one of Australia's most popular white wines.[11] Houghton White Burgundy was renamed Houghton White Classic in 2005 to comply with an international trade agreement between Australia and the EU (see Protected designation of origin).
References
Notes
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Houghton Vineyards
- Daniele, Luisa (1969). "Bland, Revett (Rivett) Henry (1811 - 1894)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
- Ferguson, John (1802 - 1883) Biographical Entry
- Simon 1966, p. 126.
- "Founders and Felons" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
- "The legend of Moondyne Joe". Archived from the original on 13 July 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2006.
- Ferguson, Charles William (1847 - 1940) Biographical Entry
- Daffey, Paul (22 April 2006). "Tony Mann: the first nightwatchman century maker". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- "Commonwealth Relations Office Honours List". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 January 1964.
- "Western Australia's 100 most influential people". The West Australian. 9 November 2006.
- "New name for wine following EU agreement". Nine News. 20 November 2005. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
Bibliography
- Halliday, James (1985). The Australian Wine Compendium. North Ryde, NSW: Angus & Robertson. pp. 473–477, 490–507, 514–527. ISBN 0207151377.
- Halliday, James (2008). James Halliday's Wine Atlas of Australia (rev. ed.). Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. pp. 234–239, 262–267. ISBN 9781740666855.
- Jordan, Ray (2002). Wine: Western Australia's Best. Osborne Park, WA: The West Australian. ISBN 0909699887.
- Simon, André Louis (1966). The Wines Vineyards and Vignerons of Australia. London: Paul Hamlyn. OCLC 52512515.
- Zekulich, Michael (2000). Wine Western Australia (all new ed.). Perth: St George Books. ISBN 0867780614.
- Zekulich, Michael (2014). Spirit of the Swan: 180 Years of Winemaking in the Swan Valley. Midland, WA: Swan Valley and Regional Winemakers Association. ISBN 9780646923680.
