Go Beyond The Cellar Door

photo credit: Cape Mentelle

Organic farm walks, shaking hands with the owners, hearing about their motivations and winemaking philosophies over a glass of wine kind of in depth. Not to mention overflowing bubbles, chocolates, nature walks, elaborate picnics, DIY wine blending, cheese platters…there is a lifetime’s worth of escapades and encounters.

Leeuwin Estate

Leeuwin Estate would have to be one of not only Margaret River’s – but Australia’s – most recognised wineries, least of all for its spectacular Art Series Chardonnay. The powerhouse multi-generational operation includes a cellar door, art gallery and fine-dining restaurant, and (in pre-pandemic times) international concerts and events. So naturally there is almost an encyclopedia’s worth of wine experiences to sink your teeth into here.

The mother lode of these is the aptly titled Art, Wine & Ultimate Lunch, which includes morning tea, an intro to the estate and its winemaking, an art gallery tour and tutored wine tasting, culminating in a seven-course menu at the restaurant expertly paired with Leeuwin wines, and with each course being introduced by the culinary team.

But there are many other niche experiences to be had, including the Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Flight looking at the winery’s flagship variety, The Art of Wine Tasting taking in top varieties and museum releases, or how about the Art, Wine & Farm-To-Fork Experience with a glass of bubbles on arrival, an art gallery tour and a flight of five wines matched with West Australian delicacies followed by lunch.

Vasse Felix

Photo credit: Prestigious Wine Company

Vasse Felix is the founding wine estate of the Margaret River Region, helmed by the Holmes a Court family since 1987. The cellar door is an icon of the area, known for its modern interiors, sculpture garden, art collection and much-lauded restaurant.

The wine experiences are befitting of the estate’s long history. The Original Tour is a behind the scenes winemaking discovery with historical, regional and wine production insights and a private tasting of the wine collection accompanied with small gourmet bites.

Budding wine buffs should head straight for The Cellar Experience, which starts with with a historical tour of the old vines on the property and focusing in on the star varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. You will then explore The Vault (the in-house museum and historical wine collection) with a private tasting by your host at cellar door, then a three-course meal matched with wines at the Chef’s High Table in the restaurant.

Those with a penchant for the finer things in life (ahem, food and wine) need look no further than The Epicurean Tour, which stops in at the winery to meet the winemaker and later dives into the world of food and wine matching, learning the insights and philosophies behind the food with a five-course tasting menu paired with wines, and a take-away bottle of Premier wine to boot.

The Cape to Vine Tour combines the Epicurean experience with a preceding spot of the outdoors thanks to partners and nature specialists, Cape to Cape Explorer Tours.

Cullen Wines

Quality, integrity and sustainability are the mantras lived and breathed at every aspect of Cullen Wines, under the meticulous stewardship of awarded winemaker Vanya Cullen. The family’s iconic Caves Road headquarters has undergone a refurbishment to introduce the Biodynamic Wine Room as an umbrella for the various experiences on offer.

There are two seated and hosted wine tasting experiences, catering to different levels and interests, from introductory right through to the Flagship Vertical Tasting experience, focusing on the famous flagship Diana Madeline and Kevin John wines, with three different vintages of each from the museum highlighting unique vintages and cellaring potential.

Tastings can be followed by a four-course set menu infused with produce from the biodynamic kitchen garden. Visitors can also self-guide themselves through the spiral garden, learning about biodynamic processes and principles that inform the Cullen Wines operations.

Cape Mentelle

Cape Mentelle is conveniently one of the closest wineries to Margaret River itself. Its sprawling grounds play host to the much-loved annual twilight movie season, and its history lies with local wine industry pioneer David Hohnen (who also established Cloudy Bay in New Zealand).

It was one of the first wineries in the region to offer a Behind the Scenes Tour and Tasting to guests, which takes in the vines right out the front of cellar door, plus the winery, its equipment, barrel halls and cellar.

Guests have the option to add various inclusions onto this original tour, such as a private tasting in the ambient barrel hall, or a food and wine pairing of six wines and gourmet morsels featuring local produce – or take a picnic basket and wine flight outside onto the lawn to enjoy.

(Article Attributed: Margaret River)

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