Moss Wood recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of their first cabernet vintage with the release of 2013 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon. We spoke to owners and winemakers Keith and Clare Mugford about the past, present and future of their winery.

Did a person need to be mad to start making wine in Margaret River in the early days?

Keith: The pioneers were very driven people with entrepreneurial spirits. They had youthful exuberance and innocence. The whole thing was exciting for them rather than daunting.

Clare: Margaret River was a location for honeymooners and dairy farming. Dr John Gladstone’s paper identifying the suitability of Margaret River for viticulture was the catalyst, so there was some interesting science behind it.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned along the way?

KM: When we started at Moss Wood we had an idea of the importance of vineyards and a notion of terroir and 40 years later that’s been confirmed absolutely.

CM: I have learned people respect quality and authenticity in wine.

Is working together the secret to great wine and a happy marriage?

CM: Farmers have worked for time immemorial in this way. Let’s say it has its pros and cons. You make it work.

Moss Wood is best known for cabernet. What’s the ‘dark horse’ in the Moss Wood wine stable?

KM: Dollar for dollar the best wine we make is Moss Wood Semillon. It delivers age-ability in spadefuls, it’s innately complex and is made with simple technique. When you open a 30-year-old semillon you can see it’s the unsung hero in our portfolio.

CM: We recently kicked some big goals with our chardonnays, which received a lot of acknowledgment. We’ve been making pinot noir since 1977, but people still say, “I didn’t know you made pinot”.

Do you think about wine trends or focus on making wines that you would like to drink?

KM: The style is dictated by the vineyard and the vintage conditions. You can fiddle around in the background finetuning with different types of oak but the natural influences play a much stronger role than the man-made. What you see in Moss Wood wine is the best that a particular season offered from that vineyard.

Where to from here for the Margaret River?

KM: As a region we’ve done very well in our first 50 years but our profile globally is still patchy. In the UK we’ve been selling Moss Wood since 1984 and we have a strong position. In Manhattan there are lots of restaurants that could offer a bottle of Moss Wood, but we’ve still got a way to go to convince consumers that if they spend their money on a Margaret River wine they’ll get as good an experience as with a Barolo or a Burgundy.

What do you still want to achieve at Moss Wood?

KM: Keep on, keeping on and if we keep making the wine of the best quality the rest will look after itself.

FERGAL GLEESON