Like so many of Margaret River's original winery owners Ed and Eleonore Green began Green Valley and fine winemaking as a weekend hobby.

Yet unlike many of those now well and truly ensconced in the region, this dynamic duo still make the time honoured weekend pilgrimage from Perth to tend the vines and open up the cellar door.

We are very glad they do, because the Green Valley wines are consistently fine and have won a fair swag of medals, particularly the tightly structured Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the most unique examples of the classic style in the region.

The vineyard was never going to be a rush job. Starting in 1980, it was planted at an average of one hectare every two years to bring it up to its present size of just under six hectares.

Situated at Forest Grove about 15 kms south of Margaret River, it is smack in the middle of a cooler micro climate which heavily influences the nuances in the Green Valley wines. The area gets plenty of cloud cover and is not susceptible to frost or hail damage.

However being set further back from the influences of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge - which tends to cause rain to fall closer to the ocean - it is a dry location and requires irrigation. The fickle movements of the elements are nothing new for Ed, who spent 44 years as a weatherman before retiring in 1995.

Meteorology requires a methodical approach, and Ed applied the same methods to both acquiring vineyard land and to the vines and winemaking. He consulted with the Department of Agriculture regarding the location of the vineyard (whereas some of the pioneers in the area just poked the ground with a stick and looked at the sky!).