Visiting the Margaret River soon, for the first time, and looking for recommendations for your top 5 wineries.
Thanks in advance,
WineRick.
Margaret River Trip - 5 wineries
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Andrew Jordan
- Posts: 775
- Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 11:53 am
- Location: Sydney
Re: Margaret River Trip - 5 wineries
In no particular order ...
Woodlands - great range of quality reds and whites
Evoi - small producer but some very good reds with older vintages available as well to taste and buy. Plus, Nigel is a nice guy!
Deep Woods
Windows
Wills Domain - good wines but go for the 7-course degustation lunch. Best in Margaret River.
Woodlands - great range of quality reds and whites
Evoi - small producer but some very good reds with older vintages available as well to taste and buy. Plus, Nigel is a nice guy!
Deep Woods
Windows
Wills Domain - good wines but go for the 7-course degustation lunch. Best in Margaret River.
Cheers
AJ
Cabernet is ... and will always be ... KING!
AJ
Cabernet is ... and will always be ... KING!
Re: Margaret River Trip - 5 wineries
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Last edited by Sean on Tue Jul 16, 2024 10:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Michael McNally
- Posts: 2084
- Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:06 pm
- Location: Brisbane
Re: Margaret River Trip - 5 wineries
Six years ago now but here is my report from then. Reading through it again can't believe I did 11 cellar doors in one day!
https://forum.auswine.club/viewtopic.php?t=16117
Have a great trip.
Cheers
Michael
https://forum.auswine.club/viewtopic.php?t=16117
Have a great trip.
Cheers
Michael
Bonum Vinum Laetificat Cor Hominis
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Michael McNally
- Posts: 2084
- Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:06 pm
- Location: Brisbane
Re: Margaret River Trip - 5 wineries
Six years ago now but here is my report from then. Reading through it again can't believe I did 11 cellar doors in one day!
forum.auswine.club/viewtopic.php?t=16117
Have a great trip.
Cheers
Michael
forum.auswine.club/viewtopic.php?t=16117
Have a great trip.
Cheers
Michael
Bonum Vinum Laetificat Cor Hominis
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Waiters Friend
- Posts: 2784
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 4:09 am
- Location: Perth WA
Re: Margaret River Trip - 5 wineries
G'day WineRick
There's so many you could go for. Are you after visiting a) historical heroes, b) top end, or c) under the radar?
Vasse Felix is probably a must, especially as it meets a & b,as well as having a top restaurant. Cullen and Moss Wood also fit a & b.
Ashbrook Estate neatly fits into c, but surprisingly also fits into a, being one of the first 6 or 7 wineries established in MR. Excellent VFM too.
Xanadu rightly gets a lot of love on this forum, and also fits into a (like Ashbrook), and has a range of wines that might just squeeze into b.
McHenry Hohnen is worth a look - excellent chardonnays from three single vineyard sites and a passion for biodynamics (like Cullen).
Cherubino offers a frankly bewildering range of wines, and also worth a look.
And finally, Howard Park has a wide range from budget to top end. The winery / cellar door is magnificent, and the wines come from Margaret River (several vineyards) and the Great Southern. Excellent riesling, chardonnay and cabernets.
I could go on, but I'm also not as familiar with some of the newer wineries. I should get down to MR more often.
Can we have some feedback on your trip?
Cheers
Allan
There's so many you could go for. Are you after visiting a) historical heroes, b) top end, or c) under the radar?
Vasse Felix is probably a must, especially as it meets a & b,as well as having a top restaurant. Cullen and Moss Wood also fit a & b.
Ashbrook Estate neatly fits into c, but surprisingly also fits into a, being one of the first 6 or 7 wineries established in MR. Excellent VFM too.
Xanadu rightly gets a lot of love on this forum, and also fits into a (like Ashbrook), and has a range of wines that might just squeeze into b.
McHenry Hohnen is worth a look - excellent chardonnays from three single vineyard sites and a passion for biodynamics (like Cullen).
Cherubino offers a frankly bewildering range of wines, and also worth a look.
And finally, Howard Park has a wide range from budget to top end. The winery / cellar door is magnificent, and the wines come from Margaret River (several vineyards) and the Great Southern. Excellent riesling, chardonnay and cabernets.
I could go on, but I'm also not as familiar with some of the newer wineries. I should get down to MR more often.
Can we have some feedback on your trip?
Cheers
Allan
Wine, women and song. Ideally, you can experience all three at once.
Re: Margaret River Trip - 5 wineries
I agree with all that's been said above. My picks - being Perth born and bred who has had countless trips "down south" since the 80s - are:
Leeuwin Estate - you can't go past this for the sumptuous lunch experience with excellent wines - the Art Series Chardonnay is (biased) the best in the country and they have a number of back vintages on offer so you can get something well aged.
Voyager - the walk to the cellar door through the rose garden is itself worthy of the trip, and they do pretty good lunches. I haven't tasted their more recent vintages but they used to be a premium producer.
Cullen - the lunch is superb, and the top wines very special (Diana Madeline, Kevin John Chardonnay) - it is beautiful sitting out under the pergola and looking out over the vines, and you can wander through Vanya's herb garden.
Vasse Felix - again some top wines, although the lunch setup is not so much to my liking.
Amelia Park Wines - the modern restaurant with a stainless steel feel is superb, serving of course the famous Amelia Park lamb, and the view over the valley is stunning. Their own wines are not stellar, however unlike most winery restaurants you can order wines from other producers.
Aravina Estate - the old Amberley Estate rebranded and redeveloped, has a fantastic location for lunches, including extensive lawns for picnics, pizza bar, top notch restaurant, and a function room used largely for summer weddings, together with a museum with wonderful old vintage cars (including Toranas). Again, not top notch wine, but a beautiful location if you want to bring a large group.
Xanadu - located in the prime southerly spot nearby Leeuwin and Voyager, Xanadu has achieved acclaim in recent years for its cabernets and the chardonnay isn't too shabby. Nice restaurant with a more casual feel.
Cape Mentelle - an old favourite with a great cellar door for wines. they lost their way a bit under LVMH but have recently been revitalised. Very close to the Margaret River township. No restaurant.
Aside from the above, the Margaret River region is famous for its craft breweries and you need to try one. My picks are Beer Farm outside Cowaramup for its coolness and country charm, and probably Black Brewing on Caves Road which is more upmarket restaurant-wise and is also part of a winery.
Also if you are in Margaret River itself, a visit to Settlers Tavern is almost obligatory. Great pub food, brilliant for dietary issues, and one of the best premium wine-by-the-glass lists I have ever seen (mostly via Corvain).
Hope that helps!!!
Leeuwin Estate - you can't go past this for the sumptuous lunch experience with excellent wines - the Art Series Chardonnay is (biased) the best in the country and they have a number of back vintages on offer so you can get something well aged.
Voyager - the walk to the cellar door through the rose garden is itself worthy of the trip, and they do pretty good lunches. I haven't tasted their more recent vintages but they used to be a premium producer.
Cullen - the lunch is superb, and the top wines very special (Diana Madeline, Kevin John Chardonnay) - it is beautiful sitting out under the pergola and looking out over the vines, and you can wander through Vanya's herb garden.
Vasse Felix - again some top wines, although the lunch setup is not so much to my liking.
Amelia Park Wines - the modern restaurant with a stainless steel feel is superb, serving of course the famous Amelia Park lamb, and the view over the valley is stunning. Their own wines are not stellar, however unlike most winery restaurants you can order wines from other producers.
Aravina Estate - the old Amberley Estate rebranded and redeveloped, has a fantastic location for lunches, including extensive lawns for picnics, pizza bar, top notch restaurant, and a function room used largely for summer weddings, together with a museum with wonderful old vintage cars (including Toranas). Again, not top notch wine, but a beautiful location if you want to bring a large group.
Xanadu - located in the prime southerly spot nearby Leeuwin and Voyager, Xanadu has achieved acclaim in recent years for its cabernets and the chardonnay isn't too shabby. Nice restaurant with a more casual feel.
Cape Mentelle - an old favourite with a great cellar door for wines. they lost their way a bit under LVMH but have recently been revitalised. Very close to the Margaret River township. No restaurant.
Aside from the above, the Margaret River region is famous for its craft breweries and you need to try one. My picks are Beer Farm outside Cowaramup for its coolness and country charm, and probably Black Brewing on Caves Road which is more upmarket restaurant-wise and is also part of a winery.
Also if you are in Margaret River itself, a visit to Settlers Tavern is almost obligatory. Great pub food, brilliant for dietary issues, and one of the best premium wine-by-the-glass lists I have ever seen (mostly via Corvain).
Hope that helps!!!