Back in the Very Beginning

How do you get Ray Charles, Sting and Jack Johnson to sing at your far-flung winery? How does a Rhodes Scholar end up running a vineyard? The family threads that travel through Margaret River viticulture have led to some astonishing happenings. Hear about them in this podcast.

Meet the eccentric cardiologist who moonlighted as a vigneron, and laid the foundations of the commercial Margaret River winemaking region we see today. This episode looks into the captivatingly complicated Tom Cullity, and what he’s left behind.

For many winemakers, Margaret River’s epic surf is as thrilling as its grapes – when the waves are curling, the lure of the ocean wins every time. Hear about a big wave surfer’s brutal wipe out, why one winemaker swapped surfing for extreme mountain biking, and find pro surfing royalty in the region’s Surf Gallery at Aravina Estate. 

From plans to plough the vineyard to getting married between the grapevines: how one couple’s meeting saved a winery. Also in this podcast, when a bromance leads to rock songs being bottled and the love story of two adventurous winemakers. 

Is it a smell, a taste or just a feeling? Get to know Margaret River’s arresting natural environment through an Aboriginal cultural custodian who explains human’s sense of connection to the land (and gives a leaf-blowing demo). Also, learn what drives a biodynamic winemaker to nurture soil, and a hiking guide walks us along an ancient mountain ridge.