Great Southern encompasses the subregions of Albany, Denmark, Frankland River, Mount Barker and Porongorup. The name ‘great’ is not taken lightly – the area is almost ten thousand square miles. Coastal in the southern areas of Denmark and Albany (which are also towns), three wine subregions lie inland. As a wine region, it was planted a few years after Margaret River and its size in comparison to “Margs” gives it a wider selection of core varietals. Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and even a little Pinot Noir are spread across the region.
Soil types are generally a mix between granite and gravely loam, and some soils are named after the eucalypt trees in the area. Indeed, it is not uncommon to get a sense of that flavor particularly in some of the region’s reds.