Mount Gambier Regional Winegrowers Association

Mount Gambier Regional Winegrowers Association Incorporated
Design Brief
Introduction
The Mount Gambier Regional Winegrowers Association (MGRWA), was established in 2003, and one of the immediate tasks was to commission the design of a regional logo. MGRWA had as one of its prime objectives to represent the interests of wine grape growers and winemakers in the Mount Gambier wine region, which at a later stage was declared a wine region in its own right by Wine Australia and awarded its own Geographic Indication (GI) in 2010.
The Mount Gambier Wine region extends from Port MacDonnell in the south, to the southern boundary of the Coonawarra Wine Region, south of Penola.

The region extends west from the Victorian border to include the localities of Glencoe, Kalangadoo, Mount Gambier and Kongorong.
The Original Logo Design
When the Association was formed in 2003, a graphic designer was engaged to design a logo for the new association. Current members have determined that a more contemporary logo design should be developed to assist in the marketing of the region, its activities and products.


Characteristics of the Mount Gambier Wine Region
The Climate
The Mount Gambier region is classified as a cool climate with a southern Maritime influence. Our climate is not an obvious distinguishing factor as similar environments can be found in other regions such as Henty (Vic), Mornington Peninsula (Vic), Margaret River (WA) and Tasmania.
Grape Varieties
Located in a cool climate, the viticultural decisions that grape growers face in a shortened growing season inevitably lead to those varieties with a shorter growing season and lower Heat Degree days in order to ripen fruit.

Dominant varieties therefore are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and minor plantings of red varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, which in traditional seasons have not been able to reach physiological maturity.
Most other established regions which share our climatic profile grow similar varieties.
Geology
The South East region of South Australia is known as the Limestone Coast as the region sits on a deep, extensive layer of limestone laid down millions of years ago as the bed of an ancient sea.

In more recent geologic time, the various Ice Ages have resulted in alternate lowering and raising of sea levels with resultant creation of coastal shore lines. These former coastlines are reflected in a series of stranded beach dune ridges, running roughly parallel to the current coast line, separated by flats called swales which in the days before drainage were often flooded for significant parts of the year.
About 4500 years ago as the Australian Plate moved over a hot spot in the earth’s crust, a series of volcanic events took place in the Mount Gambier region which saw significant eruptions, with ejection of volcanic ash, violent interaction between groundwater and molten magna and the formation of the iconic Mount Gambier lakes, most notably the Blue Lake.


The committee is of the view that our geology is our most unique feature and we wish that it could be reflected in the new logo. One suggestion that has been made is to represent a stylised stratigraphy, illustrating the 3 components of limestone base, dunes and swales and overlying volcanics.
Other logo concepts which reflect the unique character of our region are also welcomed.


Required Formats for the logo
 Colour and Black and white eps/tiff jpg and png files to be provided digitally.