Capel is situated in the shores of Geographe Bay approximately 212 kilometres South West of Perth. Ranging from the pristine beach fronting onto Geographe Bay to the edge of the Darling Scarp it has a blend of rural countryside, rolling hills and wide open spaces. Popular beaches, rich Jarrah forests and the magnificent Tuart forest which is part of the only naturally occurring Tuart forest in the world.
The Capel River meets the Geographe Bay at Peppermint Grove whilst the Preston River forms the sub region’s South Western boundaries are defined by the Whicher Range and the Gladstone Line (115º 18′ East as proposed by Margaret River wine pioneer Dr John Gladstone) forms part of the southern boundary.
Capel is one of the fastest growing regions of Western Australia with a growing diverse economic base. Capel’s traditional industries have been agricultural, predominantly dairying, beef, orchards and viticulture.
Capel offers natural beauty and diversity and we invite you to take the time to explore and experience the wonderful landscape and wines and all it has to offer.
The Capel area is known for having one of the last remaining natural tuart forests in the world. It is a beautiful open forest with tall trees and includes the most interesting native plants and animals. The area is well worth a visit and is enhanced by some very well known wineries.
Growing Conditions
| Topography | Hilly and coastal plain |
| Soil | Gravelly sandy loams and loams in the hills. Alluvial soils at the foot of the hills. Sandy soils on the coastal plain. |
| Water | Irrigation scheme. Surface water in the hills. Groundwater on the coastal plain |
| Climate |
The effects of high ripening temperatures and sunshine hours are offset by the cooling afternoon breezes of coming off the Geographe Bay, creating a climate that is ideal for the production of full bodied table wines. |
|
Varietals |
Full bodied table wines and port styles including Merlot, Shiraz, Grenache and Semillon |
Climate
| Heat Degree days | 1700 |
| Sunshine hours per day | 8.5 |
| Annual Rainfall | 700-900 |
| Growing season rainfall | 185 |
| Mean Jan temp | 22 |
| Harvest | Early Feb to Early April |
Capel Wineries
Whicher Ridge
Neil and Cathy Howard We are a winemaker-vigneron couple who have created a range of wines that are a culmination of many years of hard work together. We believe that a particular grape variety should be grown in a location that best suits that variety, and to highlight this, our wines are all single variety,...
read morePepperwood Estate
Pepperwood Estate is a 5 acre boutique vineyard owned and operated by Colin and Sandy Manley. The property is adjacent to Geographe Bay just north of the town of Capel in Western Australia. Pepperwood specialises in growing Shiraz and has established a reputation for award winning wines over the past few years. Approximately 1200 cases of quality wine are produced each year. The vineyard was planted in 1998 and both of the Manleys work on the vineyard guiding the vines through from budburst to harvest which is generally in early to...
read moreLone Crow Wines
Lone Crow Wines is a small producer in The Geographe Wine region of Western Australia. Vines were first planted on the Espinos property by the current owners great grandfather and father. Great Grandfather Dolfu immigrated from Spain in 1907 and took up farming in the area, bringing with him a family history of winemaking, it seamed logical that he would continue this tradition in Australia. Kim and Jody Espinos are the fourth generation to continue the farming and winemaking business on the family property at Yoongarillup Rd,...
read moreFiretail – Roje Estates
Producing small but select vintages through meticulous winemaking and balanced oak maturation, the Firetail team ensure the wine remains true to its variety and regional character. The careful crafting of their wines is evident when you taste them. For their Merlot, they use medium toast French oak barrels which are subtle enough to allow the voice of the fruit to speak through. They have been producing a premium Merlot from their Geographe estate since 2003.
read moreBonking Frog Wines
This tiny Geographe winery is dedicated to producing quality merlot wines. Owners Phil and Julie Hutton never imagined when they planted their Merlot vineyard in 1996 where their journey would take them. Starting out as purely contract grape growers they launched their own label Bonking Frog in 2008. The label is named after a particularly noisy frog which lives...
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