A guide to the best wineries in the Margaret River
scout editor and publisher Anastasia has spent the week in WA, on a mission to answer to one important question: Is west really best? When it comes to wine – specifically, the best wineries in the Margaret River wine region – the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.
Gold Coasters like to think we’ve got it all right here on our doorstep. Great surfing? Check. Incredible food? Check. Trend-setting fashion? Check. Unbeatable coffee, beer, ice cream? Check, check, check.
But, fellow Gold Coasters, there’s one area we’re undoubtedly beaten in. Wine.
Don’t get us wrong – we have some great local wineries. But when it comes to wine regions, the likes of which you’d find in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, we have to accept defeat.
Luckily, world-class wine regions can be found both near and far. If you’re happy to travel a little further afield (about five hours by plane) the sprawling Margaret River region with its 200-odd wineries is well worth the trip.
But where should you visit? Making sure I did my due diligence, I spent two gruelling days visiting seven wineries. No chardonnay went unsipped, and only one spittoon (the vessels used for spitting, rather than swallowing, a wine sample) was used. Here’s what happened…
Leeuwin Estate
First on the itinerary was Leeuwin Estate, and they set the bar high in terms of our wine tasting experience. Since we were with a bigger group (eight people in total), we were treated to their private tasting room downstairs. This meant we got to walk through the cellar door’s very own gallery – which was full of huge pieces of Aboriginal art – and look out over the grass where they host intimate concerts and music festivals. Producing 66,000 cases per year under six wine makers, Leeuwin considers themselves a big boutique winery. With their support of local arts and artists, they seem to be a stalwart in the local community, too. Well worth a visit.
Must-try wine: Since Leeuwin is known for their chardonnay, it’s no surprise that their 2021 Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay was a personal favourite – followed closely by the 2019 Prelude Cab Sauv.
Xanadu Wines
Next was Xanadu, which was also where we’d opted to have lunch. The cellar door experience admittedly paled in comparison to Leeuwin (though they had set the bar incredibly high). Since it was almost lunchtime it was busy, so we didn’t hear as much about each wine as we had before. I did manage to find out that Xanadu produced 300 tonnes of wine from their 109-hectare landmass each year, which doesn’t include the wine they produce for other labels (making them a rarity in the region). They also grow a lot of the ingredients for their restaurant on site, and you can definitely tell. The food was incredible, even though we had to rush through it to make it to our next tasting.
Hot tip: If you’re stopping by Xanadu, leave more than two-and-a-half hours for a tasting and lunch.
Voyager Estate
The award for the most beautiful winery we visited might have to go to Voyager Estate (which is seriously saying something). It’s one of the founding wine estates in the region, conceived by farmer Michael J Wright in 1978 – who wasn’t actually a wine drinker, funnily enough, and grew two varietals of grape juice for himself on the land. Inspired by a trip to South Africa, Wright designed the estate in a Cape Dutch style. Nowadays, the estate is owned and operated by Michael’s daughter Alexandra and her husband. Veronique, who led our tasting, explained how the Chenin Blanc varietal is the DNA of Voyager, and is still being made from their original plantings from 1978.
Must-try wine: Voyager Estate is best known for their Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, and for good reason.
Vasse Felix
The fourth and final winery for Day One was Vasse Felix – which meant we finished with a bang. The oldest winery in the region, Vasse Felix produces a whopping 2000 tonnes of wine per year. They own and operate four vineyards, though Vasse Felix label wines come from three of them – their home vineyard in Wilyabrup (which we visited), plus another two in the wider Margaret River region. Having such a variety of growing conditions means they can produce a delicious variety of wines suited to colder climates. Reece, our cellar door hand, served us a few different sparkling wines which was a nice change.
Must-try wine: Lovers of a complex red will love the 2021 Vasse Felix Syrah (Shiraz).
Cullen Wines
Cullen Wines was one of the most highly anticipated wineries on our list, and it certainly lived up to the hype. While their wine tasting area is small (better suited to a small group) their range of wines more than made up for it. Owned and operated by the Cullen family, who founded the vineyard more than 50 years ago, the team is passionate about biodynamic viticulture and ancestral wine making methods. We tried wines made in huge clay pots – a method used by the earliest white wine makers in Georgia (not France or Italy).
Must-try wine: The 2022 preservative-free Malbec was a treat, as was the 2021 Rose Moon Pet Nat.
Howard Park
The second last winery for the trip was Howard Park, where we got two for the price of one – they also offer MadFish wines at their cellar door, as both labels share the same four vineyards. A general rule of thumb, our cellar door hand told us, is that MadFish is lighter where Howard Park is richer. This nugget of wisdom came in really handy when we were choosing our wines (we had free reign over the entire wine list, and we certainly made the most of it. While we didn’t get a chance to explore the grounds, Howard Park offered a scenic lunch spot and a great range of wine-related books for sale.
Must-try wine: The Marchand & Burch Villages Chardonnay was a personal favourite, though we went home with a bottle of the MadFish Moscato (it tasted like Turkish Delight).
Deep Woods
Last but not least was Deep Woods, which was by far the smallest cellar door we visited. Luckily it was quiet, so we essentially enjoyed a private tasting led by Arlene – and she made sure we tasted every wine on offer before we left. Even though the chardonnay we were most looking forward to had sold out a few days earlier (the 2021 Reserve) there were some surprise favourites we may not have tasted otherwise. Deep Woods have access to the only Albariño plot in the south-west wine region, which is an unusual varietal for Australia (it’s usually grown in Spain).
Must-try wine: The 2021 Reserve Chardonnay, if you can get it. It was sold out for a reason.
Looking for more food and beverage options closer to home? Check out our ‘Eat + Drink’ section right here.
