Vale a Margaret River Great

We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Margaret River pioneer and Vasse Felix visionary, David Gregg late last week.

David was originally employed by Dr Tom Cullity to be the winemaker and manager of Vasse Felix in 1973. Living on the Estate, David and his wife, Ann, were the driving forces in the management of the business and made an enormous contribution to its development, while also raising three daughters. The Greggs would go onto purchase Vasse Felix in 1984 before selling it to today’s owners, the Holmes à Court family, in 1987.

(Pictured from L to R, David Gregg, Bob Holluck and Tom Cullity in 1975 inspecting vigorous Riesling canopies)

David was a visionary in the true sense of the word, laying the foundations for many milestone achievements at Vasse Felix. In 1987, he produced the first wine in Margaret River labelled “Classic Dry White,” coining the phrase which would go on to become a core regional asset. He was also the brains behind the Estate’s underground cellar, now The Vault; Vasse Felix’s wine museum.

In addition, David had a passion for sparkling wine, which he called his ‘jolly’. He made Vasse Felix’s first sparkling in 1985 and was the driving force behind what is now known as the Vasse Felix Restaurant, originally intended by David as a ‘Champagne Room’. The Restaurant was built in 1989 by the Holmes à Court family.

Fittingly, David and Ann Gregg were awarded the 2009 Margaret River Wine Association Lifetime Achievement Award, in honour of the significant contributions they have made to the Margaret River wine region.

We were thrilled to host David at the Estate’s 50th Anniversary dinner in 2017 (pictured below) where he spoke to these achievements and more.

Our condolences to Ann, Joanna, Kiersten and Rachel, and his many close family and friends. David will be sorely missed.