Swan Valley is Western Australia’s oldest wine region. It is only a 25 minute drive from the city. There are more than 40 excellent wineries, 10 breweries, 5 distilleries, a meadery, gourmet producers, markets and art studios.
The first winery we visited was RiverBank, established in 1892 on the banks of the Swan River. They have an award-winning restaurant with beautiful views over the vineyard and the winery scored a 5 star rating in the 2022 Halliday Wine Companion.
I was most impressed by the lovely stone walls at the entrance.
The views over the vineyard are lovely.
We left with a small selection of their excellent wines. There was a party happening so the restaurant was unavailable…next time.
RiverBank Estate,
126 Hamersley Road, Caversham, WA
(08)933771805
https://www.riverbankestate.com.au
Next stop was Sittella Winery established in 1998, one of WA’s newest, privately owned wineries. It is named after a small Australian bird, the Sittella, which frequents the Swan River.
The Cellar Door is very well set up and the restaurant looks amazing. We were very disappointed to find that it was booked out for lunch, forcing us to move on, with a few more bottles of wine in hand.
These photos are taken from their website.
We really need to book ahead next time.
Sittella Winery,
100 Barrett St, Herne Hill, WA.
(08)9296260
https://www.sittella.com.au
Nearby was Faber Vineyard established in 1997, with vines planted in 1998-2000 and in 2016-2017. Their vines are Shiraz, Verdelho, Brown Muscat, Petit Verdot and Chardonnay.
We all enjoyed our wine tasting and watch the restaurant fill up quickly…time to move on again.
Faber Vineyard,
233 Haddrill Rd, Baskerville, WA.
(08)92960209
Upper Reach was our next stop, another gorgeous looking estate with a great looking restaurant with tables under a huge tree. Unfortunately this too was totally booked out.
As well as cellar door and restaurant there is a cottage where you can stay overnight.
The excellent cellar door also had a selection of local produce as well as delicious wines.
Upper Reach Winery,
77 Memorial Ave, Baskerville, WA.
By this time we were seriously ready for lunch and called a few wineries until we were able to find a table at Wild Swan at Mandoon Estate.
The food was excellent.
Mandoon Estate,
10 Harris Rd, Caversham, WA.
We visited Swan Valley on a Saturday. Clearly we should have called ahead to book a place for lunch. We were lucky to find a table at the end of a sitting. We will be better prepared next time. There are lots of excellent estates to visit.
The Swan Valley is a real gem with its good wines and food and it is always pretty busy – especially on the weekends. It is quite picturesque along the river.
By: Kerry & Jim on February 1, 2023
at 11:23 pm
We enjoyed a lunch at a winery (but cannot remember the name) but do remember sitting under a white jacaranda tree first white one I had ever seen.
By: Camillus Davall on February 2, 2023
at 11:06 pm
The vineyards we visited were excellent and there are many more to explore.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 2, 2023
at 11:30 pm
The wineries look superb and the food delicious!
By: mulinodominillo on February 2, 2023
at 5:27 am
It was a great way to spend a day.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 2, 2023
at 11:27 pm
The wine that got me liking reds was from WA. I still have positive feeling when I spot a Margaret River shiraz.
By: Yvonne on February 2, 2023
at 7:24 am
We are going to Margaret River today. My sister has a vineyard and winery in Victoria. It produces some of the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Australia.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 2, 2023
at 11:28 pm
Great timing, thank you. We are going to WA in May, 1st time there.
By: Renee Aland on February 2, 2023
at 9:51 pm
My next post will be about Rottnest Island. It is gorgeous.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 2, 2023
at 11:29 pm
Wow, they’re obviously super busy wineries but the food at the one you eventually had lunch at looks so good. What a lovely part of the world
By: Jan on February 6, 2023
at 7:23 am