Margaret River is the name given to 3 things in south west Western Australia, the river, the town and the area. We are visiting our good friends Jim and Kerry who live here…lucky them (and us).
Among other things, we have been visiting some of the many wineries in the area.
The Margaret River region is celebrating 50 years as a wine growing area. It was a small agricultural area with good surfing beaches when Dr Tom Cullity began his winery, Vasse Felix, in 1967. There are now 142 wine producers and they make 20% of Australia’s premium wine exports.
The first winery we visited was Voyager Estate, one of the most beautiful wineries I have been to anywhere in the world. The setting is stunning. We will return to try the restaurant as it was booked out during our visit. http://www.voyagerestate.com.au
Vasse Felix still flourishes after 50 years. It is also in a beautiful setting helped along by glorious blue skies. http://www.vassefelix.com.au
Leeuwin Estate is family owned and one of the 5 founding wineries in the area. It is famous for its concerts as well as very good wine. They have an excellent restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. http://www.leeuwinestate.com.au
Cape Mentelle is one of the early wineries in the area, established in 1970 by brothers David, Mark and Giles Hohnen. Today it is part of the Estates & Wines owned by Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. http://www.capementelle.com.au
Watershed Winery has an excellent restaurant with great food as well as a spectacular view over the vineyards. http://www.watershedwines.com.au
Credaro Wines was established by the Italian Credaro family who first came to Australia in the 1920s. http://www.credarowines.com.au
Clairault Streicker began in 1976 with just 4 hectares of vines. Today they have 200 hectares under vine. They also have a cafe with a contemporary farm-to-table menu. http://www.clairaultstreickerwines.com.au.
Robert Oatley Margaret River is a large established vineyard, cellar door and restaurant. It was formerly Laurance Wines with 110 hectares of vineyards and a stunning rose garden. http://www.robertoatley.com.au
Amelia Park was established in 2009 by Jeremy Gordon. The winery has won several prestigious awards. The entrance to the cellar door is via a stunning barrel room. http://www.ameliaparkwines.com.au
Margaret River is a very popular tourist destination with 2.7 million visitors a year, but even at one of the busiest times of the year it is relaxed and unhurried. As well as the famous wineries it has pristine beaches, stunning forests and quaint towns asking to be explored…there will be more on Margaret River and surrounding areas.
I hope you all have a very merry Christmas, wherever you are.