Swan District

Location
 Zone - Greater Perth
State - Western Australia

Map Reference
 Latitude 31 degrees and 53 minutes South
Longitude 116 degrees and 01 minutes East

Elevation
 0 - 50 metres above sea level

Subregions
 Swan Valley

Introduction
 Two waves of immigration from the former Yugoslavia; the first at the turn of the twentieth century predominantly from Dalmatia and the second after the Second World War gave the Swan Valley the beginning of viticulture. The Swan District joined the Barossa Valley with German influence and the Riverland with Italian heritage as a significant ethnically driven wine-producing region.

The Swan Valley, a subregion of the Swan District, has always been an affable place in which to grow vines and make wine. The flat riverbed provides soils that are incredibly deep and well drained together with the hot, dry summer means that grapes ripen easily and quickly, suited to the production of bulk table wine.

Inevitably, the ethnic base of Swan Valley winemaking has declined steadily throughout the years. However, the Swan Valley will continue to be an important part of the Western Australian industry. Houghton White Burgundy - renamed Houghton Supreme for the export market - continues to be the largest selling white wine brand in Australia.
Primary Grape Varieties
White
 Chenin Blanc 150 ha
Chardonnay 50 ha
Verdelho 50 ha
Semillon 35 ha
Other 50 ha
Total White 335 ha
Red
 Shiraz 50 ha
Grenache 35 ha
Cabernet Sauvignon 25 ha
Other 50 ha
Total Red 160 ha
Primary Wine Styles

Chenin Blanc
This variety dominates plantings in the Swan Valley, contributing some 25 per cent to the annual grape crush. In the hot climate it produces a wine with a luscious richness, which responds well to bottle age, with an abundance of fruit salad flavours that is the varietal mark of the grape.

Chardonnay
The plantings have steadily increased, and has produced some very good, buttery and peachy wines.

Verdelho
Varietal wine from this grape, and usually have honeyed or honeysuckle flavour without introducing oak.

Blended white wines
The three principal white varieties band together to produce one of Australia's biggest selling and perpetually popular white wines - Houghton White Burgundy, known as Houghton Supreme in export markets. Modestly priced, produced in large volume, has the capacity to age brilliantly in bottle for up to ten years.

Shiraz
It comes second to Grenache in terms of hectares, however this is the most important red wine grape in what is fundamentally white wine country. It produces a warm, fleshy wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Produce respectable Cabernet Sauvignon, usually in a soft, dark chocolate-tinged mould. But the best was in the form of Houghton's glowing Cabernet Rose.

Fortified wines
Once an immensely important part of the Swan District's production, now actively promoted by only a few.