Eager to see some more of Margaret River, Britt and I set off early for breakfast, only to realize the wineries don’t open until around 10-10:30am. Just as the gates opened Britt and I were at our first winery, ready to go. Leeuwin Estate was our first stop for the day. This was recommended to us by the guy at the front desk of our hostel because tastings are free, and these are really nice wines. I like his logic! They first planted their grapes in 1974-75, and their first vintage year was in 1979. Though it sounds pretty recent, this is actually one of the oldest vineyards in MR. I loved every single wine at Leeuwin’s. My favorites were the Siblings Sav Blanc, Classic Dry White (Sav Sem Chard Riesling blend), and the Prelude Vineyards Chard. The Art Series were very nice as well, but they were geared more toward impressing wine critics rather than appealing to the lay drinker’s taste. (That would be me, by the way.)
Up next was the Voyager Estate, another recommendation by the guy at the hostel. This winery had a beautiful entrance, complete with rose bushes and a gazebo alongside the rows of grapes. I felt a little awkward just asking for samples at this one without buying anything though. But it was worth it! I tried another Chenin Blanc, and although it was fairly dry, it still tasted like a tropical fruit bomb. I wasn’t too much of a fan. My absolute favorite (perhaps of the day) was the Tom Prince Sav Blanc Sem. Winemakers usually don’t oak this blend of grapes, but this particular one was a playful experiment (many in the area are experimenting with oaking now) which turned out fantastic! Yum!
Before we got too lost in our wine tastings, we decided to check out some of the beaches along Caves Rd. In particular, we wanted to see Surfer’s Point because MG is currently flooded with surfers from all over the world for a surf competition this week!
Surfer's Point
After intermission, we jumped back into the wine tastings. This time we went to the Cullen Winery, one of the 4 original vineyards in MR (40 years old). If anyone is planning on going to MR anytime, I would strongly recommend this vineyard for morning tea or lunch (with a bottle of wine, of course). It was a beautiful area with a back porch overlooking the vineyard and picnic tables along the side of the winery shaded by some trees. So relaxing!
Cullen Wines
The next vineyard did not come as a recommendation to us. I held a particular interest in the Knee Deep vineyard because we served the Sem Sav Blanc at the Russell Wine Bar. It’s too sweet for me, but I thought it would be fun to see where all those bottles come from! Apart from the one that we stocked at the wine bar, I pretty much liked every other wine. My favorites were Kim’s Chardonnay ($28 per bottle) and Kelsea’s 2008 Reserve Cab Sav ($45 per bottle). And it was such a cute little spot… and nice employees 🙂
Knee Deep Wines
Once we were satisfied with the selection (and caliber) of vineyards that we went to, we took one last pit stop at The Grove. I saw a really delicious looking liqueur yesterday that I really wanted to try… so I did. It’s called the Limeburners whiskey liqueur made with karri honey. SO good! I wanted to buy some, but a small bottle was $80, and I was feeling cheap. But I’ll be sure to remember the name! Since we made a respectable dent (and all the wineries were closing), we took to the road. Back to Perth! Scratch that… How about a nights rest in Bunbury first? We arrived in Bunbury surprisingly earlier than we had predicted, and even managed to catch the sun setting over the Indian Ocean!
Bunbury sunset
I could get used to this!!!!!!
Tags: Australia, Bunbury, Margaret River, Travel, Vineyard, Western Australia, wine, Wine tasting, Winery
Chasing 'Roos 