Get behind the farm gate at Margaret River Open Vineyards
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 October 2023.
Get behind the farm gate this Margaret River Fine Vines Festival at Open Vineyards.
Margaret River Fine Vines Festival is offering you an exclusive invitation to go between the vines and meet the makers at wineries that generally aren’t open to the public for the third year.
No cellar door normally means no visitation. But for one weekend, Fine Vines Festival has your exclusive invitation to get behind the gate and go between the vines to meet the makers at wineries and vineyards generally not open to the public. Meet the makers behind some of your favourite Margaret River Region wines and get to understand their own wine making process, right where the magic happens. Buy bottles and get the inside scoop from your favourite small batch producers.
With 11 epic vineyards to choose from over the two days, with more to be announced, we understand that you might not know where to start! This page will include your go-to guide to ensure you experience all Open Vineyards has to offer. (Hot tip: this is a great opportunity to stock up your cellar with some hard to find gems for the summer months ahead).
Burnside Organic Farm
Why you should visit: A taste of their highly sought-after Biodynamic Zinfandel.
You’re in for a treat when you visit Burnside Organic Farm this Fine Vines. Family-run and Certified Biodynamic, the first vines were planted over 21 years ago and all wine is made on site by the McCall family from grapes grown on the farm. The small family run business concentrates on small batch production of Zinfandel and Vermentino. These food-friendly varieties are soon to be joined by other varieties, as new plantings begin to produce, and the second generation of the family joins the business. This Open Vineyards Burnside are offering a little something extra; chocolate and wine pairing with local chocolatier, Gabriel Chocolate.
No booking required.
Opening times – Saturday & Sunday, 10:30am – 5pm.
Getting there – 287 Burnside Road, Margaret River 6285.
Fine Vines Special – Seated wine and chocolate tasting for $59. Taste back vintages of Zinfandel matched with a selection of Gabriel’s chocolate. Included in the price is a bottle of your favourite Zinfandel and favourite chocolate to take home.
Frazer Woods
Why you should visit: Go behind the scenes at one of WA’s only traditional-method sparkling houses.
The original, dedicated sparkling house in Margaret River is open for two days only! It is with the spirit of determination, enjoyment, experimentation and excellence that, more than a quarter of a century later, Frazer Woods continues to produce some of Margaret River’s finest sparkling wines, crafted from local Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet and Shiraz. Margaret River is celebrated for its ideal wine growing conditions, where premium parcels of fruit develop aromatic complexity and intense flavour with minimal intervention. Frazer Woods wines are small batch, hand crafted expressions that define the class and sophistication of this region. Each sparkling wine is crafted by the méthode traditionnelle and each spends between five and ten years on lees before release.
No booking required, however if you would like a private booking slot please email info@frazerwoods.com.au.
Opening times – Saturday & Sunday, 12pm – 5pm.
Getting there – Lot 9 Caves Road Wilyabrup, WA, 6280. Enter off corner of Caves Road and Woodlands Road at the end of Metricup Road.
Fine Vines Special – Free delivery on purchase of 6 bottles or more.
Cloudburst
Why you should visit: A very rare opportunity to sample Will Berliner’s wines.
Cloudburst is located on rich bushland connected to the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, which extends down to the edge of the Indian Ocean. Winemaker Will Berliner works within the sound of the sea whose influence on the grapes is tangible. Their practice of careful observation begins in the vineyard and continues in the winery. Berliner works with nature and offers only minimal interference with natural processes. Utilising wild ferments and intervening as little as possible, they let the grapes fully express themselves as they transmute into wine.
Bookings essential. Please email Will at info@cloudburstwine.com to book in your visit.
Opening times – Saturday & Sunday, 9am – 5pm.
Getting there – Address will be provided upon booking.
Dawson Wines
Why you should visit: See their beautiful vineyards bisected by a creek that feeds into the Gunyalgup catchment and ultimately reaches the Indian Ocean at Smiths Beach. You can enjoy a bottle of wine while soaking in the view. Feel free to bring your own picnic or cheese platter!
Dawson Wines sits on a 21-hectare, family owned vineyard consisting of the finest Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot, Chardonnay (Gin Gin and 95 clone) and Semillon vines. ‘Our passion for great wine started in 1999, when we planted our first vines, by hand, in what we believe to be the finest wine region in the world. With perfect growing conditions, this Mediterranean climate, coupled with our sustainable Viticulture techniques, results in consistently balanced, robust and flavoursome wines. We follow and fully support sustainable viticulture and our programs to support soil health and biodiversity which we believe will in turn support vine health, resulting in balanced, robust, flavourful wines.’
No booking required.
Opening times – Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 5pm.
Getting there – 1303 Wildwood Road Yallingup , WA , 6282. Drive into Wild Hop Brewing Company from Wildwood Road. Remain straight along the fence line (do not veer left into the Wild Hop carparks). Our front gates are 200m along the fence line.
Fine Vines Special – Fine Vines guests will receive a 20% discount on all six packs purchased.
Trait Wines
Why you should visit: A tour around the vineyard with winemaker Theo, followed by a wine tasting of their range at a truly special site.
Trait Wines is a cross-continental love story, leading two people to salvage an extraordinary old vineyard in Margaret River. It’s a story of perseverance, fortitude and family. Theo Truyts (pronounced ‘traits’) and Clare Trythall’s upbringings were physically and culturally worlds apart. From the wilds of Lesotho in Africa to the colourful life of a British expat in Asia, the duo’s lives spanned the globe before their meeting in Western Australia in 2013, he working as a vineyard manager and she as an emergency doctor. Six years (plus a marriage, citizenship, baby boy and scruffy dog) later, Theo chanced upon a rare opportunity: to assume management of a Margaret River vineyard – one he had worked on early in his time in Australia – that had left an indelible impact. Due to its low yields and ‘un- machine-able’ conditions, it was in danger of abandonment. The thought of this would not leave Theo alone, and struck him as the perfect time to realise his long-held ambition of nurturing his own vineyard. The site was producing ever-dwindling yields… but the fruit concentration & the quality was near-on perfection. The cost of running this singular vineyard was almost lunacy. The temptation was too good to refuse. In 2019 the Truytses endured their first year as fully- fledged vignerons, with vintage, a tough season of pruning and Theo single-handedly grafting a quarter of the vineyard to Chardonnay. They juggled time with their young son and their ‘day jobs’ alongside the Trait vineyard to make it work, knowing that the precious site needed hand tending year-round, all the while seeing glimpses of magnificence.
No booking required.
Opening Times – Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 5pm.
Getting there – 256 Carters Road Margaret River, WA, 6285. Look out for the white fence about halfway between Caves Road and Bussell Highway with ‘W&G Lilleyman’ painted on it, turn here. Drive up the driveway to the gate, next to the house. Go through the gate but please close it behind you. After going through the gate, immediately turn right and follow the track to the end of the paddock. Then turn right through an open gate and immediately left. The vineyard is straight ahead of you, with the gate into the vineyard on your left. Drive through the gate and follow signs to the parking area.
Fine Vines Special – Trait dozen – buy 12 bottles, get a 13th free!
Jilyara
Why you should visit: Taste a range of varieties at this prime location, family-run vineyard.
Jilyara is hidden away in Wilyabrup, in the heart of the Margaret River wine region. It is a ‘small in size, but big in passion’, family owned and run vineyard. The name Jilyara was inspired by the abundance of bees in the vineyard and derives from ‘Djilyaro’, meaning ‘bees’ in the local indigenous Noongar language.
Discover their range of premium, single-vineyard wines with a view of the lake. Enjoy a fun tour through the vineyard with Craig (owner and vineyard manager) in their vintage blue Moke. This is a truly unique experience only offered once a year. Or pre-book a cheese and chocolate picnic, (booking essential), while enjoying the serenity by the lake with a bottle of fine wine. $60.00 for a picnic for two with a bottle of Honeycomb Corner wine of choice (Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc or Rose).
Bookings will be required for the picnic. Phone Maria on 0407 552402, or email wines@jilyara.com.au.
Opening Times – Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 5pm.
Getting there – 210 Heath Road, Off Metricup Road. Wilyabrup, WA, 6280. Turn off Metricup Road 200m west of Woody Nooks entrance, follow the Fine Vines and Jilyara signs.
Fine Vines Special – 30% off on cases of six or 12.
Settlers Ridge
Why you should visit: Meet Australia’s first organic winemakers.
Settlers Ridge was the first fully accredited organic winery in Australia, established in 1993. A picturesque property only 2 minutes from Caves Road and 5 minutes to Cowaramup. Producing 100% certified organic wines, with a strong commitment to sustainability and careful vineyard management, the environment is kept in pristine condition with their organic practices. In the past 7 years Settlers Ridge have won more than 50 medals at wine shows, providing compelling evidence that organic techniques can produce high-quality wines.
No booking required but groups are encouraged to phone before hand for staffing purposes. Phone 0490 955 553 or email the day before if possible to wine@settlersridge.com.au.
Opening times – Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 5:30pm.
Getting there – 227 Fifty One Road, Cowaramup, Western Australia, 6284. Corner of Brockman Rd and Fifty One Road (opposite Howard Park).
Fine Vines Special – Will be offered to guests who visit on the day. Little Hand Dumplings will also be on site all weekend!
Vallée du Venom
Why you should visit: To see the inner workings of an urban micro winery.
Vallée du Venom is Rhys and Emma Parker and their ‘Urban Micro Winery’ in Dunsborough. With access to premium vineyards and reliable maritime climate vintages, Vallée du Venom produce small batch, terroir driven wines centered around a minimal intervention ethos. Rhys and Emma started from scratch. Converting a bare, concrete warehouse in the heart of Dunsy into a winery, the Urban Micro Winery concept was as much as a necessity as it was a vision. Their wines are minimal intervention, organic and vegan including varietals like Malbec, Chenin Blanc, Syrah and our personal favourite, Social Currency, a co-ferment Grenache and Tempranillo.
Bookings are encouraged but not required. Please e-mail hello@valleeduvenom.com.au or call Rhys on 0416 305 842.
Opening times – Saturday 9:30am – 2:30pm, Sunday 11am – 5pm.
Getting there – 3/1 Congressional Drive, Dunsborough, 6281. In the Dunsborough LIA.
Fine Vines Special – 10% discount on any 6-pack or 12-pack carton purchases.
Black Cocky Wines
Why you should visit: Try small batch wines and stay for lunch with pizzas from the wood fire oven.
Sam Martin of Black Cocky Wines creates handmade, small batch wines in the Margaret River region. In the winery he draws inspiration from their namesake, the Black Cockatoo, by creating wines that are fun, vibrant and bold. Fruit is sourced from some of the most premium vineyards in the South West, with preference for growers who farm sustainably. In the winery the fruit is handled gently, typically using wild or indigenous yeasts with no fining or filtration. With no cellar door this is your very special opportunity to meet Sam at his Cabernet vineyard and taste through his small batch wines.
Opening times – Saturday only, 11am – 4pm
Getting there – Nirvana Retreat. 7396 Bussell Hwy, Metricup WA 6280.
Jingalup Wines
Why you should visit: For breakfast specials from Normal Van paired to Jingalup Wines.
Small batch wines made with intuition by Jessica Waldron. A wine romantic, lover of old world winemaking traditions & of organic hands on viticulture. After many years working in restaurants Jessica moved to the South West to work in vineyards & wineries and so began Jingalup. A project to seek out small vineyard selections and make beautiful expressive wines using only traditional minimal intervention techniques. Made on Wadandi Boodja with grapes from Wardandi & Kaneang Boodja made to drink with family and friends. Over Open Vineyards find Jessica at the pop-up cellar door at Normal Van Main Street in Margaret River. Start your day off right at Normal Van where they will be serving up breakfast specials to pair with Jingalup wines from 10am-1pm, including chicken waffles and croque monsieur.
No booking required.
Opening times – Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 1pm.
Getting there – 115-117 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River WA 6285. Main street of Margaret River.
Fine Vines Special – Normal Van breakfast specials!
Dirt Temple
Why you should visit: For fireside chats, a great soundtrack and food from the farm.
Dirt Temple is the funny furry brain child of Alex Scott. Nestled in the valley of a small creek on Osmington Road is a delightful little microclimate perfect for olfactory forward whites and medium bodied claret. Serving up their delicious Pet Nat, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, a visit to Dirt Temple is never short of surprises and delicious paddock-to-plate food. This year they are offering a special event on Sunday 29 Wine & Weaving with local artist Chloe Wilder at the farm from 3pm – 4.30 pm.
No bookings required to visit. If you would like to participate in Wine & Weaving then please email dirt.templewines@gmail.com to book. $80 per person, includes wine or mocktail, cheese board and all equipment.
Opening times – Saturday & Sunday, 11am – 4pm.
Getting there – 1654 Osmington Road, Margaret River, WA, 6285. Travel along the gravel, past Canebreak Road and the tiny church, then it is the first farm on the right.
