Within the Great Southern wine region is a collection of five sub regions, each with their own unique topographical qualities. These regions include Denmark, Albany, Porongurup, Mount Barker and Frankland River. With a typical maritime climate, the coastal towns of Denmark and Albany experience relatively mild summer temperatures and cool wet winters. These conditions enable fruit to ripen slowly and gradually, thus developing subtle layers of fruit intensity and are well suited to the earlier ripening varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot. Further inland to Mount Barker, Porongurup and Frankland River, the days are slightly warmer, and the nights are cooler (with a higher risk of frosts). With greater sunshine hours, these sub-regions are where Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz varieties thrive.

It is a story about pioneers, men and women who transformed the Hunter Valley of NSW, planted grapes there, and looked for better ways to make wine. English immigrant Edward Tyrrell planted his first vines in the Hunter Valley in 1858 establishing Tyrrell's Wines after receiving a land grant in apparently poor pastureland in the lee of the Hunter Valley's Brokenback range.

The vineyard was established because of its unique climate. Sea breezes in the afternoon and gully winds of an evening assist with the reduction in temperatures at ripening time, allowing the wines to display great varietal character.

The founding owner of Howard Park, John Wade ventured west to Western Australia’s southwest with one belief: “I don’t know any other region where you can produce both Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon as premium wines”. This founding belief began the journey of Howard Park. Howard Park remains a family owned winery under the guidance of Jeff and Amy Burch. With a philosophy to produce wines of distinct regional character with an uncompromising commitment to quality Howard Park has forged an international reputation for their wines and an expanded range including single vineyard and multi regional wines from Margaret River and the Great Southern. The two region philosophy aligns with Howard Park’s goal which adopts an ethos for integrating the old with the new.

Houghton Wines, based in the heart of the Swan Valley, contains a wealth of romantic history. Named after Lieutenant Colonel Richmond Houghton in 1836, the first commercial vintage was produced in 1859 totalling 25 gallons, the foundation for one of Australia's oldest continuous winemakers. The picturesque Houghton winery property today has fifty hectares planted with premium grape varieties including Verdelho, Chardonnay, Semillon and Chenin Blanc. Early documentation and current research suggests the first vines were planted between 1830 and 1836.

They are assisted by a small, hardworking team who enjoy the diverse and idiosyncratic challenges associated with making wine. The Isolation Ridge vineyard lies on part of a farm where the family have run a wool growing enterprise since 1974. The decision to diversify their farming interests was inspired and informed by a tour of French vineyards Barrie and Judi undertook in 1985 and also by two vintages they worked at Chateau Senejac in Bordeaux. The winemaking philosophies at Frankland Estate reflect these influences as well as the hard earned lessons gained from some 17 vintages in the Frankland River region. Their approach to winemaking is based on the principle that the most significant characteristics of a wine come from the soil and the vineyard environment. They aim to make wines that reflect nature rather than the hand of the winemaker.

The Flametree is a spectacular Australian tree, in full bloom, a magnificent sight to behold. Interestingly it only comes into full flower when all conditions are favourable. The same is true of winemaking. To produce spectacular, wine all of the elements, from grape to glass, must come together at the right time.

During a lifetime of annual visits back to his parents homeland, Luca Castelli grew up working in the vineyard alongside his grandfather Nonno Germino. After a career in power engineering and renewable energy, Luca became consumed by a dream of getting his hands dirty again amongst the vines once again. His brother Sam's passion for wine also began on the family farm back in Italy. Sam's extensive career in the engineering and construction sectors lead to the ASX-listed United Group Limited, an internationally active company with an annual turnover of two billion. He always remained keen however of picking grapes and delivering boxes of his homemade wine to customers.

Merv and Judy Lange are pioneers of the wine industry in the Frankland River district. They planted their first vines in 1971 – Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Malbec – and produced their first wines in 1976. Today, Alkoomi is one of the largest family-owned wine producers in Western Australia. The Lange’s son Wayne, daughter Sandy, and extended family members are all actively involved in the business.