FROM A FOUNDING MARGARET RIVER FAMILY

About Us

Background

Growing under the house flag of a pioneering South West family, and located a stones throw from the viticultural stars of the Willyabrup Valley, lies Cape Grace's carefully tended vineyard.

A great-grandson of timber baron M.C. Davies of Karridale - one of the founders of Margaret River, Robert Karri-Davies has returned with his family to the region to hand-craft fine wines that are full of the flavour and character of Margaret River.

In 1996 Robert and Karen Karri-Davies planted their 15 acre vineyard on the headwaters of the Willyabrup Valley. From the start Robert & Karen set out to produce hand-crafted, luxury wines at Cape Grace. The fact that ‘great wine is grown in the vineyard’ was of vital importance, so when the farm on which Dr Tom Cullity originally wanted to establish Vasse Felix became available, Robert and Karen knew they had fifteen acres of prime grape-growing vineyard.

Since a trophy wine for the ‘Best Wine at the 2001 Sheraton Wine Awards’ with their first vintage, the 2000 Cape Grace Cabernet Sauvignon to the latest trophy for the best Chardonnay at the 2007 National Wine Awards, Cape Grace is producing wonderful handcrafted luxury wines, vintage after vintage..

In James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2004 Edition Cape Grace is privileged to be included in the “Ten of the Best New Wineries” listing and has received a 4½ star rating in the current Wine Companion.

“The most impressive debut of recent times has been the reds from this small wilyabrup vineyard. Deeply concentrated, velvety, stylishly crafted”

Peter Forrestal – Australian Gourmet Traveller WINE

Philosophy

Cape Grace is a work in progress a long-term commitment to excellence. Its wine is as much about nuance and art as it is skills and passion.

The People

Cape Grace Wines is owned and operated by Robert and Karen Karri-Davies.

Robert has had a successful Commercial and Industrial Photography business for over 20 years, working in Australia, Asia and Canada. In addition he has had a varied background from a heavy equipment operator in northern Canada, to a welder and geological field assistant in Australia. Robert is a self-taught viticulturist and continues to keep up to date through extensive reading and attending seminars. Now as the vigneron he is learning the winemaking aspects from consultant winemaker, Mark Messenger.

Karen has over 15 years international sales and marketing experience in the hospitality industry. She has worked in Canada, Australia and Indonesia with three International 5 Star hotel companies.

Cellar Door

The Cellar Door is open daily 10am to 5pm where you'll meet Karen or Robert and get some insight into the trials and joys of being a small winemaker. Visitors stroll through the Barrel room, prior to entering the tasting area. Incorporated into the Cellar Door is a Photographic Gallery. Depending on the time of year visitors may see some action in the winery. If time is available a tour of the winery can be arranged and the wine making process explained. Outside, adjacent to the Cellar Door, is Robert's collection of Australian parrots in a natural bush setting.

The Great Egret

The Great Egret, a frequent visitor to this tranquil bush setting with its splendid trees and harmonious maritime climate, is featured on the label of Cape Grace Wines.

Viticultural Practices

Estate grown in the Willyabrup valley the vines are nutured under 'best practice' programs. Minimum sprays, no insecticides. Wild ducks and introduced guinea fowls are effective insect eradicators. Canopy management is used i.e. hedging, east side leaf plucking and the vines are netted to avoid fruit damage by birds and kangaroos.

Wine Making

Estate grown fruit and vinification on the property, fermentation in new French & American Oak (Seguin Moreau), free run juice and light pressing, minimal interference and strict temperature and hygiene controls are the hallmarks of a fine wine and all are employed at Cape Grace Wines.

Both red wines are hand plunged for 10 days in open fermenters, basket pressed and matured in oak barriques for 12 months

Mark Messenger is our consultant winemaker. Mark is originally from Victoria and graduated from The University of Adelaide (previously Roseworthy College) in 1987. Mark has extensive experience; currently he is employed by Juniper Estate, previously worked 9 years at Cape Mentelle and has had several vintages overseas.

Production

Cape Grace Wines sells the majority of wine through its Cellar Door and Mail Order. Production has increased gradually; initially 500 cases were produced in 2000 with production increasing to 2000 cases with the 2004 vintage.

Awards

Cape Grace is proud to have received two Trophies and over 100 medals in its short history.

Photographs

A selection of professional photographs of Cape Grace are available, and Robert who was a professional photographer for over 25 years also has many of his artistic works for sale and these works can be viewed at the cellar door.

Fifty One Road

(Our road is now designated as a Flora Road - A scenic tourist drive)

DISCOVER THE WILDFLOWERS AT CAPE GRACE

Fifty One Road and Cowaramup Bay Roads have been nominated as Flora Roads by the Roadside Conservation Committee. These two road reserves are considered to have high conservation value along most of their length, provide good landscape views and link tourist attractions and routes, namely Caves Rd and the beach at Gracetown, and Cowaramup Bay Rd, wineries and Caves Rd respectively. You will need to park your car safely and get out and discover the garden of mother nature.

Fifty One Road owes its unusual name to the 51st Group Settlers who established farms along its margins in the early 30s. Back then Fifty One Road ran from Bussell Highway to Gracetown via a circuitous route to the north and south. Cowaramup Bay Road did not exist in its current form.

Fifty One Road winds through gently undulating country cut by several winter creeks. On either side are vineyards and pasture for cattle and sheep. A good example of a group settlement cottage can be seen and two wineries have established cellar doors notably Cape Grace and Howard Park.

In the spring the wildflowers are stunning in their diversity, colour and profusion, especially near Cape Grace’s vineyard where the roadside is free of encroaching pasture grasses. The cellar door at Cape Grace is set in native bush consisting of Jarrah, Marri woodlands on lateritic granite soils. The flowers are most prolific from September through to November and the mix of species that are flowering change from week to week. Over 30 varieties of flowers can been seen around the Cape Grace Cellar Door from the purples of the hovea, hardenbergia and purple flag, the various yellows of acacias. Hibbertia and yellow flag, blues of lechinaultia and dampiera, red of scarlet runner and dyandra, the pom pom looking pimelea, the mauve black-eyed Susan also several different orchids and trigger plants can been found when you look very carefully.

The Cowaramup Bay Flora Road begins at Caves Road. The vegetation consists of Jarrah, Marri woodland on lateritic granite soils with winter wet depressions, Jarrah, Marri, Banksia woodland on sand over granite and coastal granite heath. You will find different species of acacia as well as bornia and kangaroo paws.




	FROM A FOUNDING MARGARET RIVER FAMILY About Us Background Growing under the house flag of a pioneering South West family, and located a stones throw from the viticultural stars of the Willyabrup Valley, lies Cape Grace's carefully tended vineyard. A great-grandson of timber baron M.C. Davies of Karridale - one of the founders of Margaret River, Robert Karri-Davies has returned with his family to the region to hand-craft fine wines that are full of the flavour and character of Margaret River. In 1996 Robert and Karen Karri-Davies planted their 15 acre vineyard on the headwaters of the Willyabrup Valley. From the start Robert & Karen set out to produce hand-crafted, luxury wines at Cape Grace. The fact that ‘great wine is grown in the vineyard’ was of vital importance, so when the farm on which Dr Tom Cullity originally wanted to establish Vasse Felix became available, Robert and Karen knew they had fifteen acres of prime grape-growing vineyard. Since a trophy wine for the ‘Best Wine at the 2001 Sheraton Wine Awards’ with their first vintage, the 2000 Cape Grace Cabernet Sauvignon to the latest trophy for the best Chardonnay at the 2007 National Wine Awards, Cape Grace is producing wonderful handcrafted luxury wines, vintage after vintage.. In James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2004 Edition Cape Grace is privileged to be included in the “Ten of the Best New Wineries” listing and has received a 4½ star rating in the current Wine Companion. “The most impressive debut of recent times has been the reds from this small wilyabrup vineyard. Deeply concentrated, velvety, stylishly crafted” Peter Forrestal – Australian Gourmet Traveller WINE Philosophy Cape Grace is a work in progress a long-term commitment to excellence. Its wine is as much about nuance and art as it is skills and passion. The People Cape Grace Wines is owned and operated by Robert and Karen Karri-Davies. Robert has had a successful Commercial and Industrial Photography business for over 20 years, working in Australia, Asia and Canada. In addition he has had a varied background from a heavy equipment operator in northern Canada, to a welder and geological field assistant in Australia. Robert is a self-taught viticulturist and continues to keep up to date through extensive reading and attending seminars. Now as the vigneron he is learning the winemaking aspects from consultant winemaker, Mark Messenger. Karen has over 15 years international sales and marketing experience in the hospitality industry. She has worked in Canada, Australia and Indonesia with three International 5 Star hotel companies. Cellar Door The Cellar Door is open daily 10am to 5pm where you'll meet Karen or Robert and get some insight into the trials and joys of being a small winemaker. Visitors stroll through the Barrel room, prior to entering the tasting area. Incorporated into the Cellar Door is a Photographic Gallery. Depending on the time of year visitors may see some action in the winery. If time is available a tour of the winery can be arranged and the wine making process explained. Outside, adjacent to the Cellar Door, is Robert's collection of Australian parrots in a natural bush setting. The Great Egret The Great Egret, a frequent visitor to this tranquil bush setting with its splendid trees and harmonious maritime climate, is featured on the label of Cape Grace Wines. Viticultural Practices Estate grown in the Willyabrup valley the vines are nutured under 'best practice' programs. Minimum sprays, no insecticides. Wild ducks and introduced guinea fowls are effective insect eradicators. Canopy management is used i.e. hedging, east side leaf plucking and the vines are netted to avoid fruit damage by birds and kangaroos. Wine Making Estate grown fruit and vinification on the property, fermentation in new French & American Oak (Seguin Moreau), free run juice and light pressing, minimal interference and strict temperature and hygiene controls are the hallmarks of a fine wine and all are employed at Cape Grace Wines. Both red wines are hand plunged for 10 days in open fermenters, basket pressed and matured in oak barriques for 12 months Mark Messenger is our consultant winemaker. Mark is originally from Victoria and graduated from The University of Adelaide (previously Roseworthy College) in 1987. Mark has extensive experience; currently he is employed by Juniper Estate, previously worked 9 years at Cape Mentelle and has had several vintages overseas. Production Cape Grace Wines sells the majority of wine through its Cellar Door and Mail Order. Production has increased gradually; initially 500 cases were produced in 2000 with production increasing to 2000 cases with the 2004 vintage. Awards Cape Grace is proud to have received two Trophies and over 100 medals in its short history. Photographs A selection of professional photographs of Cape Grace are available, and Robert who was a professional photographer for over 25 years also has many of his artistic works for sale and these works can be viewed at the cellar door. Fifty One Road (Our road is now designated as a Flora Road - A scenic tourist drive) DISCOVER THE WILDFLOWERS AT CAPE GRACE Fifty One Road and Cowaramup Bay Roads have been nominated as Flora Roads by the Roadside Conservation Committee. These two road reserves are considered to have high conservation value along most of their length, provide good landscape views and link tourist attractions and routes, namely Caves Rd and the beach at Gracetown, and Cowaramup Bay Rd, wineries and Caves Rd respectively. You will need to park your car safely and get out and discover the garden of mother nature. Fifty One Road owes its unusual name to the 51st Group Settlers who established farms along its margins in the early 30s. Back then Fifty One Road ran from Bussell Highway to Gracetown via a circuitous route to the north and south. Cowaramup Bay Road did not exist in its current form. Fifty One Road winds through gently undulating country cut by several winter creeks. On either side are vineyards and pasture for cattle and sheep. A good example of a group settlement cottage can be seen and two wineries have established cellar doors notably Cape Grace and Howard Park. In the spring the wildflowers are stunning in their diversity, colour and profusion, especially near Cape Grace’s vineyard where the roadside is free of encroaching pasture grasses. The cellar door at Cape Grace is set in native bush consisting of Jarrah, Marri woodlands on lateritic granite soils. The flowers are most prolific from September through to November and the mix of species that are flowering change from week to week. Over 30 varieties of flowers can been seen around the Cape Grace Cellar Door from the purples of the hovea, hardenbergia and purple flag, the various yellows of acacias. Hibbertia and yellow flag, blues of lechinaultia and dampiera, red of scarlet runner and dyandra, the pom pom looking pimelea, the mauve black-eyed Susan also several different orchids and trigger plants can been found when you look very carefully. The Cowaramup Bay Flora Road begins at Caves Road. The vegetation consists of Jarrah, Marri woodland on lateritic granite soils with winter wet depressions, Jarrah, Marri, Banksia woodland on sand over granite and coastal granite heath. You will find different species of acacia as well as bornia and kangaroo paws. Web Design by Photomedia © 2002