Trial vines were planted on one acre of land by Diana and Kevin Cullen on a Wilyabrup property in 1966 after having read advice and received encouragement from Dr John Gladstones, who believed the Margaret River was ideal for planting vines due to a similarity he saw with the climate and soils of Bordeaux.[1][2][3] The trials were promising, and 17 acres of vineyards were planted, this time on their own property, in 1971, with the business founded under the name "Wilyabrup Wines".[1][4] The first grape vines planted were Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.[1][5]
Kevin Cullen was given the Western Australian "Citizen of the year" for "The Professions" in 1993,[6] and was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994 for "service to medicine" and service "to the wine industry".[7] He died in 1994.[8][9]
Diana Cullen was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2000 for "service to the development of viticulture and the wine industry".[5][10] She died in 2003.[9]
Vanya Cullen received the "Australian Winemaker of the Year" award from Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine in 2000[5][14] and was voted "Woman of the Year" by UK based wine magazine The Drinks Business in 2008, becoming the first Australian to receive the award.[11][17] She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2023 for "service to viticulture and oenology".[18]
Cullen Wines has been run according to biodynamic farming principles since 2003,[19] after having adopted organic methods in 1998.[20][21] Cullen Wines was the first winery in Australia to be certified carbon neutral, starting the process in 2006.[13][22] Vanya Cullen is on the board of the "Days of Change" program, which aims to help Western Australian people and businesses live and operate in a more sustainable way.[23]
Wines
Cullen Winery cellar door
About 20,000 cases of wine are produced each vintage from the 45 hectares of vineyards owned by the winery.[13]
The best known wine produced by Cullen Wines is the "Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot", It is made of around 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc in most vintages.[24]Langton's Classification of Australian Wine placed this wine at their highest level of "Exceptional" in the 2005 classification,[25] and it stayed at this level for the subsequent classification in 2010.[26] It is named in tribute of Diana Cullen, the co-founder of the estate.[26]
From the 2006 vintage, a "Kevin John Chardonnay" has been produced, which is named as a tribute for the other founder of the estate, Kevin Cullen.[27][28]
Other red wines produced include a single vineyardMalbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot blend called Mangan East Block, a Pinot noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend called Margaret River Red.[29]
A number of other white wines are also produced, including two single-vineyard Sauvignon blanc–Semillon blends from the Cullen and Mangan vineyards and a Margaret River White which contains Sauvignon blanc, Semillon and a small amount of Chardonnay.[30]
Scott, Jane; Negus, Patricia (2011). Stories from the Cellar Door: Fifty Margaret River Wineries Tell Their Tales. North Fremantle, WA: Cape to Cape Publishing. pp. 34–35, 106–110. ISBN9780980333763.
Zekulich, Michael (2000). Wine Western Australia (all new ed.). Perth: St George Books. pp. 146–149. ISBN0867780614.
