Maritime Influence
Clare Mugford talks about Margaret River’s pristine environment and how the sea influences the taste of your wine and how important the ocean is for ripening grapes.
“Being close to large bodies of water creates a consistency between daytime and night time temperatures. This is what is good for grapes, and exactly what we have here at Moss Wood.
During the growing season it is optimal for our grapes to be ripening consistently over a long period of time. Warm daytime temperatures without heat spikes are best and at night, it is better if the grapes do not cool down too much.
This consistency of temperature between day and night, especially for Cabernet Sauvignon, happens in climates that are described as ‘maritime influenced’ and this is a term that describes the Margaret River region perfectly.
To the north we have Geographe Bay and to the west the Indian Ocean. Head south, out over the Southern Ocean and the next landfall is Antarctica. The Margaret River region is truly a pristine maritime environment, perfect for growing and ripening grapes.
This influences the flavour of the grapes and the wine we produce from them. Our cooler temperatures are important, as once the temperature gets over 33 degrees centigrade, leaf stomata close down and the grape vines stop their respiration. If they’re not respiring then the ripening process stops.
At Moss Wood we very rarely get temperatures above 33 degrees centigrade. While the temperatures are sitting between 28 degrees centigrade and 33 degrees centigrade, the grapes are able to ripen effectively. Overnight it can drop to 15 degrees centigrade or 16 degrees centigrade – the ripening doesn’t stop, it just slows.
We attribute our consistently high quality vintages to our maritime influence."
Clare Mugford