Top honours for Dunsborough red

A Dunsborough-based winery took top honours at the 2011 Perth Royal Wine Show last week.

Happs took out the coveted best WA dry red wine for its 2010 cabernet sauvignon.

“The cabernet for both the Happs and the Three Hills label is grown at our Three Hills estate in Karridale,” winery owner Erl Happ said.

“This vineyard is an enigma: ripe, full-flavoured wines come from a cool, damp environment.

“It has often been observed that very good wines come from environments that may be considered marginal and difficult.”

Mr Happ said their wines’ success in Perth followed a string of wins for the winery in recent times, including last year’s best exhibitor under 300 tonnes and best WA exhibitor of any size at last year’s Royal Wine Show.

He said the win was a result of the hard work put in by his winemaking and vineyard team and the foresight of winemakers 30 years ago.

“Margaret River cabernet sauvignon is the best in Australia and perhaps second only to Bordeaux internationally,” he said.

“When people planted vines in the 1970s it was the prospect of producing great wine from cabernet sauvignon that excited them.”

Other notable Capes’ winners included Metricup’s Greedy Sheep Wines, which took out the best rose with its 2011 Matilda’s Estate rose and Cowaramup’s Juniper Estate which won the best dry red varietal with its 2010 tempranillo.