Margaret River wineries: Voyager, Leeuwin and Vasse Felix
In the Margaret River region, the purest expression of place is literally bottled and savoured through all the senses.
In the Margaret River region, the purest expression of place is literally bottled and savoured through all the senses. The salty sea breeze wafting over grape vines, the West Australian sunshine, the winter rain and gravelly soil are all captured in glass.
The destination is also presented on dining plates through ingredients sourced from its waters, farms and orchards. The district’s founding wineries combine these two elements, matching the local food to their wines, with sommeliers acting as tour guides.
These packaged experiences of tutored tastings, degustation lunch and behind-the-scenes tours take five or six hours, so I brace myself to do three in three days. Each afternoon when I return replete to my suite at Cape Lodge, I have to change my dinner reservation for later that evening. I don’t even make it to the complimentary happy hour, choosing instead to take a break by the lake for sunset.
Vasse Felix
Virginia Willcock, chief winemaker at Vasse Felix for the past 15 years, is a firm believer in portraying the distinct environment of Margaret River.
“Our style of winemaking is the antithesis of Penfold’s, which is a blended wine from multiple regions and multiple vineyards,” she says. “For us, it’s all about the representation of the land and the place in a year that had certain conditions. For me, that has far higher value because this is the new travel — enjoying the smell and taste of somewhere else. You can close your eyes and be there. Drink it, become part of it.”
This loyalty to the land paved the way for Vasse Felix to become certified organic in February [2021], but it’s not a magic bullet for better wine, Willcock says. “It’s about future sustainability. We want these vineyards to be here 200 years from now.”
Meeting Willcock in the barrel room is a highlight of the vineyard’s Epicurean Tour, which starts in a museum in the old cellar door, where we explore the history of Margaret River’s oldest wine estate, established 1967.
Afterwards, a private tasting is led by sommelier Evan Gill, who points out the ocean spray in the chardonnay and the peppy note in the cabernet from nearby peppermint trees. He’s excited about the new era of sauvignon blanc and the 18 per cent foot-stomped shiraz. The top drop is the 2016 Tom Cullity cabernet sauvignon malbec, of which a fellow taster orders a case.
Moving to the restaurant upstairs, we meet the chef while enjoying his five-course, wine-paired menu. Scallops with kohlrabi, lardo and ginger are followed by beef in XO sauce, then a lemon and yuzu palate cleanser, before fish crusted with almonds and grapes, and a light dessert of fresh figs and cream.
The Epicurean Tour is available on weekdays; $320 a person, including a bottle of wine to take home.
Voyager Estate
Visitors to Voyager Estate dig deep into the ethos of organic farming when they participate in the property’s Unearthed Experience. Starting with a morning stroll among the vines, sommelier Claire Tonon provides detailed explanations about the importance of location, maritime conditions and the types of soil that have developed over thousands of years.
Backstage, inside the winery, we taste shiraz and sauvignon blanc semillon straight from the barrel, before settling into a private room for a seated tasting.
The table is set up with four shot glasses of water, each diluted with one of the four structural elements of wine — sugar (sweetness), lemon juice (acidity), tea (tannins) and alcohol. We take sips to feel the sensations on our palate, to help identify the basics while wine-tasting.
“Hopefully, at lunch, you’ll also see why these elements are so important when you have our dishes paired with wine, because food adds another step of wonder,” Tonon says.
Head chef Santiago Fernandez describes our seven-course meal as “a celebration of the dynamic nature of autumn in the vineyard”. The seasonal menu follows the deepening colours of the vines from vibrant green and yellow to reds and browns. Each dish is presented with a postcard that outlines the story behind each varietal.
Beluga caviar is accompanied by the 2019 Project Sparkling chenin blanc; the 2020 chenin blanc marries marron, chicken and carrot; 2018 chardonnay comes with pork, jujube and brown butter; 2020 sauvignon blanc semillon with whiting and macadamia; 2016 cabernet sauvignon with venison, walnut and cocoa; and 2018 Project Cane Cut semillon complements the goat’s cheese, fig and granola.
The Unearthed Experience costs $95 for a guided tasting and cheese board; the optional lunch is an additional $250.
Leeuwin Estate
The hedonist on the hill, Leeuwin Estate celebrates fine wine, food, art and music, with a restaurant overlooking the lawn where legendary concerts are held, and a gallery of paintings commissioned for its labels.
Handing out 2018 Leeuwin Estate Brut on arrival, sommelier Cameron Haskell leads us around the gallery to view the works used for the Art Series range, which we then sample in a wine and food flight.
Perfect matches do not get much better than the first duo of 2020 riesling and yellowtail kingfish, cured, smoked and rolled in seaweed powder, with oysters steamed and blitzed into a tangy emulsion.
Picked from the garden, tomatoes with ricotta are drizzled in fig leaf oil, alongside a sauvignon blanc. Cauliflower cooked in yeast butter and smothered in a nutty cheese curd is combined with 2018 chardonnay. Free-range duck, brightened by blood orange and parsnip, is paired with 2018 shiraz. The last match is a weighty 2017 cabernet sauvignon for the crumbly cheddar on homemade lavosh.
The flight touches down with lunch in the restaurant, where these five wines continue to flow for the three-course set menu. The kingfish reappears as an entree, so I make the easy decision to order it over the venison alternative. For mains, the choice is line-caught fish with mussels and potato, or wagyu, cauliflower and aged cheddar. To finish, local cheese or a passionfruit dessert with white chocolate and jasmine, can be served with a 15-year-old verdelho.
Chief executive Simone Furlong, whose family owns Leeuwin Estate, describes winemakers as “farmers in the luxury goods game, translating grapes into premium products to be enjoyed around the world”.
The real joy, she says, is welcoming visitors to the winery, run by two generations of her family. “It’s all about people and place. When you visit the place where wine is made, you see the soil, the light, the aspect; you meet the people and really connect to the wine.”
The Ultimate Wine & Food Experience is from $239 a person.
In the know
Vasse Felix, Voyager Estate and Leeuwin Estate offer the lunch and tasting packages independently. Alternatively, engage the services of Ultimate Winery Experiences to tailor a comprehensive Margaret River itinerary with VIP tastings, tours and accommodation to your preferences.
ultimatewineryexperiences.com.au
Cape Lodge, on Caves Road, Yallingup, is a three-hour drive south of Perth. Rates start at $499 a night including breakfast, vineyard tour and tasting, in-room refreshments and pre-dinner drinks. The five-course chef’s menu costs $145 a person.
Louise Goldsbury was a guest of Cape Lodge and Ultimate Winery Experiences.
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