Houghton (winery)
Houghton is the oldest and largest winery in the Swan Valley about 25 km north of Perth in Western Australia .
history
In 1829, West Australia's first governor James Stirling gave his servant Revett Henry Blend the land on the upper reaches of the Swan River , called Swan Location II , in recognition of his expeditionary efforts . In 1836 three British officers who had served together in the East India Company bought the northern part of this area; the senior officer of the syndicate, Lieutenant Colonel Richmond Houghton , gave it its name. There is no evidence, however, that Houghton ever set foot on the land; He had his share administered by his co-owner Thomas Newte Yule.
The company emblem (raised sword between two swans looking at each other) shows the founding date of the winery as 1836, which is historically fuzzy. The land was already planted with vines at the time of the acquisition by the three British. As a commercially used winery - the first of its kind in Western Australia - it was only proven when the doctor John Ferguson, who immigrated to Australia from Edinburgh, bought the land from the officers for 350 pounds in 1859.
The three historic buildings in the Scottish country house style ( croft ) go back to John Ferguson (restored 1987/88), surrounded by extensive parks. Ferguson converted the former home of Thomas Newte Yule into a wine cellar and achieved a yield of 100 liters in the first year (1860).
For almost 100 years (three generations) the winery remained in the possession of the Ferguson family. At first, viticulture was just a sideline, but the son and grandson concentrated exclusively on this branch of production. Through acquisitions of land and cooperation with experienced winemakers, the Middle Swan Winery became the largest winery in Western Australia by the middle of the 20th century.
One of the most influential winemakers was Jack Mann , who produced wines for Houghton for 51 consecutive vintages. In 1937, his White Burgundy became the flagship for Western Australian wine production. It is not a Pinot Blanc ; rather, the name was supposed to awaken associations with distant Burgundy in Australian customers and suggest to them that this wine was comparable to the world's best locations. Against the background of the clear quality advantage of this wine over other typical blends and the fact that very few Australians would have had any real comparison with the grands vins of Burgundy, this advertising strategy was very successful until the second half of the 20th century. The multiple award-winning wine with a fruity taste, characteristically labeled (white with blue stripes), is one of the best known in Australia and still the favorite in the range in the 21st century, albeit under the name Houghton White Classic . This new name reflects the production of the wine from a mixture of grape varieties typical of the region.
In 1950 John Ferguson's grandsons sold the winery to the Emu Wine Company, which in turn was bought in 1976 by the Hardy Wine Company based in Reynella (South Australia). This company transformed the family winery into a supraregional company.
In the 21st century, Houghton is a wine production and sales company known far beyond Australia with worldwide export activities, especially to the USA and Europe. Approx. 8,000 tons of grapes are processed annually, which make 1.7 million liters of wine (packed in 9-liter boxes).
The winery today
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Houghton Winery has around 60 hectares of vineyards in the historic core area on the Swan River, which are planted with white grape varieties ( Verdelho , Chardonnay , Sémillon , Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc ).
Most of the wines produced at Houghton today no longer come from the Swan Valley, but from growing areas up to 300 km away in the cool climates in the extreme southwest of Australia, for example Moondah Brook (145 ha), Pemberton (92 ha), Mount Barker ( 74 ha) and Frankland River (89 ha). Houghton wines also come from Margaret River , Harvey, and the Ferguson Valley. Red grape varieties such as Shiraz , Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot and Pinot noir also grow in these areas .
This expansion required the establishment of a second manufacturing facility in Nannup in the Blackwood Valley.
Houghton wines are sold under the names Houghton Crofters, Line Range, Houghton Regional Range and Jack Mann . The name Houghton Crofters reflects the Scottish manor style of the historic facilities; but it does not mean that these wines (they are available in several grape varieties and also grape variety mixtures) come from the core region. With the Line Range, the label only denotes the grape variety; the origin is arbitrary. In addition to the vine, the regional range also indicates the growing area (e.g. "Margaret River", "Pemberton"); It should be noted, however, that according to the Australian wine law, each wine of origin from certain growing areas may contain 20% admixtures of vines from other growing areas. Today, the Jack Mann brand does not designate the "White Burgundy Classic" from 1937, but a Cabernet Sauvignon named in honor of this winemaker.
tourism
Houghton hosts daily wine tastings at its historic production facility in Middle Swan as part of group tours, mostly in connection with organized boat trips on the Swan River (so-called Wine Cruises ), which are popular with international visitors and can be booked daily from Perth or Fremantle . Individual arrival, advice and wine tasting at Houghton are also possible during the regular opening times. The sales point also organizes overseas shipping for tourists.