The Winery Michael Goundrey of Australie de l'Ouest

Discovering the wine region of Australie de l'Ouest

Western Australia is the largest of Australia's eight administrative areas and territories. In 2020, it accounted for only 2% of the nation's wine production, but has already produced up to 20% of the country's fine wines. Covering the entire western third of the vast island-continent, "WA" (as it is commonly known) stretches 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) from east to west. This makes it the second largest administrative subdivision of any country in the world, larger than Alaska and Texas combined.

Western Australia's wine regions are clustered in the cooler, coastal Southwestern Part of the state. The northeastern two-thirds of Western Australia is too hot to support quality viticulture. The northwest corner is the hottest region in all of Australia, with summer temperatures exceeding even those of the country's famous semi-desert 'Red Centre'. In contrast, the Climate in southwest WA is relatively cool, tempered by the presence of the Indian Ocean to the west and the Antarctic Ocean to the south and east.