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After many years in the wine industry, I constantly grapple with the question: What defines the best wineries in Margaret River? Is it their award-winning wines, the unparalleled cellar door experiences? Or simply what resonates with us as consumers and appeals to our palate and experience?<\/p>\n
In tackling this question, let’s explore each of these significant criteria.<\/p>\n
The Margaret River Region, nestled in the southwest corner of Australia, sprawls across the southwestern part of Western Australia. Stretching from the coastal town of Busselton in the north. It extends southward through the town of Margaret River and reaches the coastal shores of Augusta in the south.<\/p>\n
To the west, its boundary meets the Indian Ocean coastline. While to the north it encompasses Yallingup and Dunsborough before curving eastward towards Busselton. Blessed with a Mediterranean and maritime climate. The Margaret River Wine Region is renowned for its wine production. For a visual reference, you can check out the map here: Margaret River Wine Region Map<\/a>.<\/p>\n Among the top cellar door experiences are those that offer visitors more than just a wine tasting. While this list isn’t exhaustive, it encompasses places where guests can indulge in a sensory journey.<\/p>\n Whether you’re drawn to panoramic ocean vistas, picturesque gardens, or sprawling vineyards perfect for a leisurely stroll. There’s something for every wine enthusiast or budding aficionado. Additionally, some establishments provide ambient settings for enjoying a meal. Or partaking in platters of delectable charcuterie to complement post-tasting wine sessions.<\/p>\n Ultimately, these unique points of interest and distinctive features will elevate your experience.<\/p>\n Not just a place to explore beautifully landscaped gardens and lakeside views. Aravina Estat<\/a>e has relaxing spaces including balconies and picnic sites where you can enjoy their premium wines and wood-fired pizzas for 7 days.<\/p>\n Add to the overall experience by taking in a tour of the Sports Car and Surf Galleries. Tastings are $10 and redeemable on any wine purchase. They offer their full menu Wednesday through Friday and a limited menu on Mondays and Tuesdays.<\/p>\n Experience an immersion into biodynamic principles and organic wines at Cullen Wines<\/a>. Visit the spiral garden or enjoy a four-course luncheon in the Biodynamic Wine Room. Cullen Wines offers a range of experiences for you to enjoy. These include seated tastings, dining and a self-guided biodynamic garden tour from $15 upwards.<\/p>\n Located closer to the whale-watching region in Augusta, Glenarty Wines<\/a> is a winery with a point of difference. They incorporate a collective farm experience culminating in a tasting, farm and food experience, with four tour types of tours to engage in.<\/p>\n A booking in their restaurant invites a farm-to-table, wholesome seasonal food and wine experience. If that isn\u2019t your taste, you can also enjoy a cellar door experience in the wine bar, starting from $10pp.<\/p>\n Positioned on the highest point of their Leston vineyard. The award-winning Howard Park Wines<\/a> adheres to Feng Shui design and orientation principles. The cellar door has casual bar tastings at $10pp, tasting up to 6 of their wines.<\/p>\n Casual bar tastings are available all day and don\u2019t require a booking for groups of up to 6 people. With the price redeemable upon purchase. Walk-in seated tastings are from $15pp \u2013 where you can choose from a red, white, or mixed tasting.<\/p>\n With a relaxed vibe, Swings & Roundabouts<\/a> produces some of its own wines from 40-year-old vines on the property. They offer a vibrant cellar door experience where the kids can play and you can kick back and listen to live music. Or sample their Mediterranean-inspired fare at their restaurant. They also have an EV charging station onsite.<\/p>\n Whicher Ridge Wines<\/a> welcomes you to wander around their wine sensory garden. Immerse yourself in the sights, smells and flavours of the plants at your own pace.<\/p>\n Wine tasting starts at $10pp, otherwise, you might like to choose another of their wine experiences. If you would like to learn more about wine, wine styles and pairing of wine with food.<\/p>\n Located on the capes west of Dunsborough, Wise Winery<\/a> is a cellar door and restaurant experience with breathtaking coastal views. The award-winning restaurant is open for fine dining for lunch and dinner. Tastings in their dedicated cellar door facility include their range of wines and distilled gins for a small fee.<\/p>\n The Margaret River Region has so much to offer the wine novice, enthusiast and aficionado. Its offerings and the variety and quality venues in this list provide a robust experience to any visitor or traveller.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just about the wine though, pairing of foods seems to be as much a part of the wine journey here in the South West. Margaret River Wine region has so much to offer. The best way to experience this is to visit and tour this beautiful region through wineries and tours alike.<\/p>\n Curate your Vasse Felix Estate<\/a> visit with options such as a seated tasting at the Cellar Door, or enjoy wine and charcuterie in the Wine Lounge overlooking the Home Vineyard and Margaret River\u2019s oldest vines.<\/p>\n On fine days, the Wine Lounge extends to the Estate lawn. Enjoy the a la carte menu with a long lunch in the award-winning Vasse Felix Restaurant or an exploration of history and culture in the Art Gallery and The Vault. For the ultimate destination experience, go beyond the cellar door with a specialised Tour Experience.<\/p>\n Once again making the list is the only biodynamic and carbon-positive winery in the region, Cullen Wines<\/a>. To Cullen, it\u2019s all about the soil from the uses of biodynamic principles, harvesting grapes at auspicious planetary aspects – usually about the moon, the wine juice pressed without any additions.<\/p>\n Cullen is known to be one of Australia\u2019s most-awarded wineries. Keeping with the organic and biodynamic philosophy of the vineyard – food is prepared using fresh, biodynamic and organic produce, 90% of which is sourced from the Estate’s garden. Cullen offers a range of wining and dining options. You\u2019re spoilt for choice with cellar door tastings, or a four-course set menu paired with biodynamic wines complimenting the dining experience.<\/p>\n A pioneer in wine tourism, Leeuwin Estate<\/a> incorporates a multi-award-winning restaurant, cellar door and art gallery to create unique visitor experiences. Leeuwin Estate combines fine wine and food in a picturesque setting offering two luncheon options and two wine, art and food appreciation experiences.<\/p>\n No stranger to wine accolades, Leeuwin\u2019s Art Series Wine collection is often selected for world wine awards and the estate has won numerous awards for its restaurant and tourism activities. Leeuwin Estate also holds a variety of highly successful outdoor concerts on its estate.<\/p>\n A family-run and owned estate, Voyager<\/a> achieved silver status in certified organics in 2023, all of their wines being 100% estate-grown and made. Voyager offers vineyard, wine and food experiences to their guests and the award-winning restaurant features progressive, wine-focused dishes that evolve with the season. In their own words, Voyager Estate Restaurant practices are \u201csustainable, elegant and just a little lavish.\u201d<\/p>\n Another top-shelf wine and dine experience available in the Margaret River region is Wills Domain<\/a>. A family-owned enterprise, Wills Domain has expanded its grape growing and wine-producing business into an exceptional fine dining experience with a fully operational award-winning restaurant on their 20-hectare site in stunning Gunyalgup Valley.<\/p>\n Their culinary team produces delectable snacks that are perfectly matched with their wines. These can be experienced at their cellar door and exceptional fine-dining feasts at their restaurant. Which has a refined, industrial feel with a focus on sustainable, wild-harvested produce.<\/p>\n If you want to explore the region a little more and see what’s on offer. Check out Wine Australia\u2019s Guide to the Margaret River Region<\/a>. Learn all about its terroir, climate, and information on the growing of grapes and the blending of wines.<\/p>\n When visiting the Margaret River Region, you can enjoy a scenic drive to the southernmost corner of WA. Here, you can depart on an Augusta Whale Watching tour<\/a> with Naturaliste Charters<\/a> at Augusta Harbour. We offer whale watching tours twice daily at 10 am and 2 pm running for two to 2.5 hours each, seven days a week.<\/p>\n Whilst aboard the Alison Maree, you can expect to be kept comfortable on the newly refurbished 24-metre catamaran. Onboard, you will explore Flinders Bay in search of the humpback whale. The tours mainly sight Humpback and Southern Right whales during whale season from late May to early August every year. If you are in the region during late August until November end you can drive 30 minutes north. Here you will reach Dunsborough and experience the southern migration of the whales and calves on Geographe Bay.<\/p>\n With a 99% whale sighting success rate, why not take the time to book a tour when visiting the region? Book your tour with Naturaliste Charters online<\/a> or by phone at 9750 5500.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our Guide to the Best Wineries in Margaret River After many years in the wine industry, I constantly grapple with the question: What defines the best wineries in Margaret River? Is it their award-winning wines, the unparalleled cellar door experiences? Or simply what resonates with us as consumers and appeals to our palate and experience? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":36702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" The sun cast its golden hues over the horizon as we set out on the Alison Maree.<\/span><\/p> This was to be our<\/span>\u00a0for the final Bremer Canyon killer whale charter of the season.<\/span><\/p> Excitement pulsed through the air, mingling with a tinge of sadness knowing it was our final journey into these deep, mysterious waters.<\/span><\/p> Our hopes were high, our spirits eager for the unknown encounters awaiting us.<\/span><\/p> Today, our route diverged from the usual path. <\/span><\/p> Determined to maximise our chances of spotting the elusive orcas, we charted a course that took us eastward.<\/span><\/p> Tracing the intricate contours of the canyon systems below. <\/span><\/p> With every mile covered, anticipation grew, fuelled by the possibility of encountering these magnificent creatures.<\/span><\/p> Our journey took us further west, spanning 16 nautical miles.<\/span><\/p> And then, just before noon, a telltale sign emerged\u2014a vast oil slick glistening on the surface. <\/span><\/p> It was a beacon of hope, a signal that we were drawing closer to our elusive quarry.<\/span><\/p> Approaching the slick, our eyes widened at the sight of a chunk of white flesh adrift in the water. <\/span><\/p> Yet, apart from the scavenging flesh-footed shearwaters and albatrosses, no other creature graced the vicinity. <\/span><\/p> Undeterred, we pressed on, guided by the instinct that led us to this point.<\/span><\/p> Our perseverance bore fruit as we stumbled upon a startling scene\u2014a deceased swordfish.<\/span><\/p> Its massive frame bearing the unmistakable scars of a predator's voracious appetite. <\/span><\/p> Circling the carcass were the enigmatic figures of the ocean\u2014a short-finned mako shark and a sleek smooth hammerhead. <\/span><\/p> These apex predators, each a marvel of evolution, painted a vivid tableau of life and death in the vast expanse of the sea.<\/span><\/p> The shortfin mako, with its unparalleled speed and agility, commanded attention. <\/span><\/p> Its metallic blue-grey form darted through the water, a testament to its prowess as one of the ocean's most efficient hunters. <\/span><\/p> In its wake, it left a trail of awe and respect, a reminder of the delicate balance that sustains our marine ecosystems.<\/span><\/p> Amidst the drama unfolding beneath the waves, the skies above teemed with life. <\/span><\/p> Subantarctic shearwaters, shy albatrosses, and Wilson's storm petrels danced on the wind, their graceful movements a symphony of flight.<\/span><\/p> But our journey held more surprises yet to unfold. <\/span><\/p> As the afternoon waned, we encountered two pods of long-finned pilot whales, their majestic forms gliding through the water.<\/span><\/p> Among them, young calves frolicked under the watchful gaze of their mothers, a poignant reminder of the bonds that unite us all.<\/span><\/p> As the day drew to a close, we retraced our steps through the familiar waters of Bremer Canyon.<\/span><\/p> Our hearts heavy with the knowledge that our final search for the orcas had come to naught. <\/span><\/p> Yet, amidst the disappointment, gratitude blossomed for the countless wonders we had witnessed throughout the season.<\/span><\/p> Passing by Glasse Island one last time, we bid farewell to the Australian sea lions, their sleek forms basking on the rocky shores. <\/span><\/p> Among them, a young pup suckled at its mother's side, a symbol of hope for the future of these magnificent creatures.<\/span><\/p> As we steered the Alison Maree homeward for the final time this season, our thoughts turned to the promise of the seasons yet to come. <\/span><\/p> With each journey into the depths of Bremer Canyon, we embark not only on a quest for adventure but also on a voyage of discovery.<\/span><\/p> A journey that continues to inspire awe and reverence for the boundless beauty of the ocean and all who call it home.<\/span><\/p> To view more photos from this expedition visit Facebook<\/a><\/span><\/p>BEST CELLAR DOOR EXPERIENCES<\/h2>\n
Aravina Estate<\/h3>\n
Cullen Wines<\/h3>\n
Glenarty Wines<\/h3>\n
Howard Park Wines<\/h3>\n
Swings & Roundabouts<\/h3>\n
Whicher Ridge Wines<\/h3>\n
Wise Eagle Bay<\/h3>\n
SERIOUS WINE & DINE EXPERIENCES<\/h2>\n
Vasse Felix<\/h3>\n
Cullen Wines<\/h3>\n
Leeuwin Estate<\/h3>\n
Voyager Estate<\/h3>\n
Wills Domain<\/h3>\n
A LITTLE MORE SERIOUS ABOUT THE REGION<\/h2>\n
WHALE WATCHING IN THE MARGARET RIVER REGION<\/h2>\n
A Final Farewell<\/h3>
Oil Slicks A Sign?<\/h3>
Shark Fin Sighting<\/h3>
Is This The Final Chance?<\/h3>
Farewell Bremer Canyon<\/h3>