In recent years, we have come to know and love the strangely named wines of their equally strangely named producer, Stella Bella Wines.

This small, privately owned Margaret River region wine company, makes eye-catchingly labeled wines under such increasingly renowned names as Suckfizzle and Skuttlebutt.

However, it is not just the exotic labels and names that are attracting international attention, but the ever increasing list of awards Stella Bella’s wines are winning, as evidenced by the gold medal 2004 Stella Bella Shiraz included in our 2005 Margaret River Wine Show Awards Dozen.

This is not the first time a Stella Bella wine has featured in similar Margaret River Regional Wine Centre dozens.

While the brands are differentiated by sub-regions, vineyards, style, price and curious names, managing director John Britton says the objective is to create wines of expression, personality and interest, with an emphasis on unique imaging.

The company has several vineyards that are either owned or on long term lease, with 40 hectares under vine. Fruit is also sourced under contract from like minded growers.

This year, under the watchful eyes of director and winemaker Janice McDonald and vineyard operations manager Peter Wood, Stella Bella crushed over 600 tonnes of fruit and produced over 40,000 cases of wine.

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Many things and occasions in life could be described as “stella bella,” not least of all is good wine.

The Stella Bella range is sourced from and produced in, Margaret River.

It includes the small production exotics of Pink Muscat, Tempranillo and a Sangiovese Cabernet blend.

There is also the classic line up of varietal Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Shiraz, and regional, signature blends of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Merlot.

Suckfizzle is a small vineyard in the cool, maritime, south-westerly extreme of the Margaret River grape growing region.

It produces just two wines -- a Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend ala the Bordeaux Pessac Leognan appellation, and a straight Cabernet Sauvignon in the true, big Margaret River style.

Skuttlebut is an old nautical term for the source of drinking water on ships that has come to mean gossip, chit chat, rumour etc.

The opportunity to catch up with friends over a glass of good wine is the perfect occasion for Skuttlebutt -- a fresh, easy drinking blended red and white wine.