With eight wine regions in the entirety of WA, its unsurprising that we’re not short on great wine. Although you have to travel hours down to the South West for some of WA’s most famous wine regions, even locals might be surprised at how many wineries seem to be found right under their noses, under half-an-hour from the CBD.
25 minutes from Perth’s centre is the Swan Valley, one of the nation’s oldest wine regions with vines planted almost 200 years ago. The Swan Valley allows regional comforts without the hours-long car ride. Over 40 wineries can be found here, with a variety of tours available to make the most of your visit. Wine-lovers are drawn from around the world to taste the wines of the Valley’s Mediterranean climate, typically the shiraz. Mild, dry winters allow long ripening times for the grapes, bringing their strong flavour to the fore.
The Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail loops 32 kilometres around 100 different destinations, making it easy for you to pick your highlights and stop where you like. We wouldn’t miss Sandalford Wines or Mandoon Estate, both in Caversham and providing views so picturesque that weddings are a constant there. If visiting with friends or family from overseas, the Caversham Wildlife Park is about 20 minutes away from both wineries, where they’ll have an opportunity to see, pet and feed iconic Australian wildlife.
The Perth Hills wine region, although younger than the Valley, is just as good quality. Beginning in the late 1800s, the viticulture in the Hills includes over 20 cellar doors throughout the gorgeous Darling Ranges. Again, this region is only a 30-minute drive from Perth’s CBD, making it both an easy day trip or a staycation if so inclined. The Darling Ranges produce microclimates, and is generally cooler than the Swan Valley, making cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay the top wine styles.
For specific wineries, we love La Fattoria, a commercial orchard-turned-winery focused on only using Italian grapes. On the opposite end of the Hills, Millbrook Winery is another highlight, contained within Jarrahdale’s jarrah forests on Chestnut Farm. The award-winning restaurant and cellar door overlook a natural lake, with produce grown on or around the estate. Also in Perth Hills is Core Cider House, if you’re not into wines, where their ciders are complimented by live music, their orchard gardens, and refreshing apple slushies.
Although not technically in Perth, talking about wineries in WA seems wrong without mentioning the Margaret River Region. World-renowned, this region is one of the world’s youngest, but that doesn’t stop its wines from topping best-of lists from wine connoisseurs globally. The climate in Margaret River gets compared to the Bordeaux region of France, a ‘Mediterranean maritime,’ climate best suited for chardonnay, cab sav and shiraz. With over 150 wineries, there is simply too many to narrow down. We’d recommend a tour of the area, or following one of the regions many wine trails to have the best experience, although you can’t go wrong in Margs.