In Australia, the wine industry is much less tightly regulated and the recent “grape glut” has placed pressure on wineries to optimise financial returns, often at the expense of quality and tradition.

The proliferation of ‘cleanskins’ reflect the wineries attempts to offload poorer wines at below market price to maintain cashflow.

These wines are often ‘mongrels’, made with grapes and grape products brought in from distant places and diverse terroirs. Such ’supermarket’ wines are cost effective for producers and cheap for wine drinkers, but lack the complexity and surprises that are the hallmark of a living terroir and changeable climate.

The Margaret River wine region is recognised as a world-class producer of fine wines, but the appellation is not as regulated as in France and the grape-growing and wine-making techniques are not always at a high standard.

In my view the Margaret River wine industry should consider a St-Emillion model, with tighter regualtion of the use of the Margaret River appellation to promote and protect the reputations of quality wineries and encourage the maintenance of the best of best grape-growing and wine-making traditions.

I must get back to work, but am looking forward to getting home and applying my newly-acquired (but still sadly limited) wine appreciation techniques to the latest Treeton Estate vintages. I will appreciate the wine more knowing that David and Corinne continue to maintain traditional techniques and standards of excellence in their wine-making.

Helen McGowan