About Coward & Black Vineyards

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All Great Wine is made in the Vineyard

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We are blessed with rich, ancient, bountiful soils evenly infused with the free draining red ochre gravel that characterises the soils of this great wine growing region. All our vineyards are dry grown. The vines have sent their roots deep into the ground and found the pristine water that lies below.

We planted our first vines in 2002 on a gently sloping block at the back of our property in the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia. We had bought the former cattle grazing property four years earlier but it wasn’t until we started digging beneath the surface that werealised how amazing the soils were.Our home vineyard is located in the middle of the Wilyabrup appellation mapped out by Dr John Gladstones in 1967. We first planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz using cuttings descendant from the famous Jack Mann super-clone. Then in 2004 we planted Chardonnay and Semillon and added a Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in 2008. We also established a Chenin Blanc vineyard in the Swan Valley in 2011.In total we have 9.2 hectares or approximately 23 acres of vines.

Ancient soils and a pristine maritime environment.

Fresh sea breezes blow in across the Indian Ocean cooling the vines in summer and moderating the chill of winter preventing frosts on even the coldest days.

Many people call Margaret River the Bordeaux of the south because of its similarities to the famous French wine growing region. It’s no coincidence that some of the wines that grow so well in Bordeaux are the stand out varieties in Margaret River - particularly Cabernet Sauvignon. The Margaret River micro-climate is perfect for growing wine grapes. The soils are ancient and untouched. This southernmost corner of the Australian continent has some of the most complex, rich and fertile soils in the world and Margaret River’s close proximity to the coast means that the prevailing winds blow in across the pristine Indian Ocean cooling the vines in summer and modulating the chill of winter preventing frosts on even the coldest days.

The first vines in Margaret River were planted a few kilometres from our vineyard in 1968 by Dr Tom Cullity. He had recognised the suitability of the soils and the micro-climate of Margaret River after the region was surveyed by Western Australian soil scientist Dr John Gladstones some years before. The Wilyabrup sub-region is in the heart of the Margaret River appellation and is home to some of Australia’s finest wineries. Wilyabrup is the Aboriginal name for “place of red ochre”. It was home to the Noongar people for tens of thousands of years. The red ochre gravel is the key to the region’s free-draining loamy soils that make it so perfect for world class viticulture.

OUR vineyards

HOME VINEYARD - TOM CULLITY DRIVE

Cabernet Sauvignon - 1.6ha - planted 2002
Shiraz - 1.60ha - planted 2002
Chardonnay - 2.13 ha - planted 2004
Semillon - 1.07 ha - planted 2004
Sauvignon Blanc - 1.60 ha - planted 2008

SWAN VALLEY VINEYARD - WEST SWAN RD

Chenin Blanc - 1.20ha - planted 2010.

Our Founders

Patrick Coward and Martin Black, the founders of Coward & Black Vineyards, met when they were six years old. Their parents had emigrated from Britain during Western Australia’s mining boom in the late sixties. They bought an old cattle grazing property in Margaret River in 1997 and opened The Margaret River Chocolate Company in 1999.

In 2006 they launched their wine label and opened their first cellar door in Margaret River. When it came to name their wine they reverted to the French tradition of naming the vineyard after the owners’ surnames. The logo pays homage to their journey across the seas.

Wine maker

With double degrees in winemaking, viticulture and agribusiness Fraser Gallop Estate’s winemaker Ellin Tritt works closely with Clive Otto to oversee our wine production each vintage. Ellin shares our view that great wine is made in the vineyard and works closely with our vineyard manager as the vintage evolves, forensically monitoring the developing ripeness, acidity and physiological flavour of the fruit as we approach each harvest to ensure that we hand pick the fruit on the day that it's at its absolute peak.

Viticulturalist

John Standish has been our viticulturist since 2008. He is well known as one of the Margaret River region’s most accomplished and knowledgable viticulturists. John established our vineyard in The Swan Valley and has been working meticulously with the vineyard team bringing the very best modern viticultural practices to our vineyards.