Sometimes, what you’re looking for is right under your nose.

Summer is here. Long, lazy lunches. Barbecues with friends as the sun sinks.
Sounds like paradise to the rest of the world; for us, it’s just the way we
live. Put simply; it doesn’t get better than summer in the west. And the perfect
accompaniment to a Western Australian summer? A Western Australian wine of
course.

We produce an astounding number of incredible wines. And, after a run of
wonderful vintages, the fruits of this labour are ready to enjoy. But don’t take
our word for it. We invite you to take a moment to read why we, as Western
Australian wine producers, are so proud of what we have been producing.

Why Western Australian wine? Let’s clear one thing up right away; we’re not asking
that you drink WA wine out of a sense of loyalty or parochialism — you should
drink it because, by any measure, it is bloody good stuff. And we can prove it.

For starters, let’s take a look at the bible of Australian wine rating. James
Halliday’s Top 100 wine guide. Our state produces less than five per cent of the
country’s wine, yet WA wines make up 35 per cent of Mr Halliday’s top white
wines alone, with many gracing the higher ranks. A top notch place to be.

One reason we produce such great wine is that we are home to some of the best
natural wine regions around. These are reminiscent of Old World wine provinces
in Europe; perfect growing conditions for varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc,
Semillon, Chardonnay and Riesling. Which means, that in contrast to the cheap
Sauvignon Blanc wines creeping across our borders, we are seeing delightfully
crisp white blends arising from the heart of our state. They offer far more
weight and balance, and decidedly more intrigue and complexity.

Lists such as Halliday’s, including Ray Jordan’s top 65 whites of both Australia
and New Zealand (of which 35 hail from Western Australia), are indications that
our WA wine is making its palatable presence known. We’ve had three great
vintages on the run.

Why have they been such good years? Suffice to say vines like to make fruit while
the sun shines. While the rest of our country has sadlysuffered prolonged heat and
low rainfalls, Western Australia has seen near perfect growing conditions. We had
a warmer 2007; good rainfall in 2008 and a cooler 2009; we’re now seeing more
fuller-bodied whites and more perfect, classic fruit styles.

Summer of 2008/09 made a tardy appearance. But it does mean that those longer
periods of cooler weather led to yet another fantastic vintage of white wines
with natural acids abundant in elegance and fully ripened tannins. But if all this
talk of ‘tannins’, ‘acids’ and ‘vintages’ is enough to make your head cloudy, no
worries. Leave all the weather watching to us. All you have to do is sit back
and enjoy a glass or two of some of the best wine that this country has seen.

So that’s why nineteen of the greatest wineries in our state have teamed up to
bring you ‘Summer with The Locals’, a bevy of fantastic whites from all over the
west. We invite you to get to know them. The Locals are ready and waiting to
bring you and your friends a most sensational summer of amazing Western
Australian wine. Brought to us, by us.