The Best Wineries in Margaret River
The best wineries in Margaret River: the founding estates from Vasse Felix (1967) on, what the region pours, and which wine tours name the cellar doors they visit (Oct 2026).
There is no single best winery in Margaret River, but there is a short list of founders every wine lover asks about, and a long tail of small family producers that the tours are built around. The region has more than 90 cellar doors. The modern story starts with Vasse Felix in 1967, and the estates that followed it in the next six years are still among the best known.
The founders, in the order they were planted
| Winery | First planted | Why people go |
|---|---|---|
| Vasse Felix | 1967 | The region’s first commercial vineyard, planted by Dr Tom Cullity; restaurant |
| Moss Wood | 1969 | The second pioneer, planted by the Pannell family |
| Cape Mentelle | 1970 | Its Cabernet Sauvignon won the Jimmy Watson trophy in 1983 and again the next year |
| Cullen Wines | 1971 | Kevin and Diana Cullen’s estate, one of the founding families |
| Sandalford | 1972 | Part of the first wave, five years after Vasse Felix |
| Leeuwin Estate | 1973 | Its 1981 Art Series Chardonnay topped Decanter’s international Chardonnay tasting |
| Woodlands and Wrights | 1973 | The last of the early wave |
Dates from the Margaret River Wine Association’s history of the region. By 1980 there were 20 vineyards, and at the 50th anniversary in 2017 the association counted 164 wine producers.
The founding estates are a good reason to come, and Vasse Felix in particular. If you want them on a tour rather than in a hire car, choose a tour that names its stops: most full days visit unnamed “boutique” wineries that change from day to day.
Which tours name their wineries
| Tour | Wineries named in the itinerary | From (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Wine Tour with Lunch at Vasse Felix (Harvest Tours) | Howard Park, Peacetree, Vasse Felix (tasting and three-course lunch), Passel Estate | US$256 |
| Full-Day Wine Tour (Harvest Tours) | McHenry Hohnen, a Cowaramup tasting, Woody Nook (two-course lunch) | US$130 |
| Small-Group Wine, Coffee, Lunch & Forest Tour (All About Margaret River) | Brown Hill Estate, Redgate Wines, lunch at The Berry Farm | US$119 |
| Guided Canoe & 4x4 Tour with Lunch & Wine (Margaret River Discovery Co) | Fraser Gallop Estate, behind-the-scenes tour and lunch | US$160 |
| Bettenays Wine and Nougat Tasting | Bettenay’s, five wines with five nougats, no transport | US$18 |
Prices as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, in US dollars, not a quote. The Harvest Tours premium day is the one for the founders: it pours at Vasse Felix and seats you for lunch there with two glasses of wine, at most 10 guests.
Check dates for the Vasse Felix lunch day
The small producers are the point of most tours
The best-reviewed tours in the region deliberately skip the famous names. All About Margaret River says every business on its day is locally owned, if not family-run, and Wine for Dudes visits three boutique wineries where you often meet the owners or winemakers. These are wineries you would be unlikely to find on your own, and some sell wine you cannot buy elsewhere. If you have already been to the big estates, or simply want to meet the people who make the wine, that is the better day:
- The hidden-gems full day from All About Margaret River: three family-run wineries with about 30 wines on offer, an olive-farm lunch, from US$144.
- The Wine for Dudes Wine Adventure (tour page): three boutique wineries with tasting fees included and a wine-blending session, from US$130.
What Margaret River pours
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay made the region’s name and are still its flagships: Cabernet is just over half the red grape crush. Expect the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blend at almost every cellar door too. Tom Cullity’s first plantings at Vasse Felix were Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec and Riesling.
Where the wineries are
The cellar doors spread along Caves Road and the Bussell Highway between Yallingup in the north and the country south of Margaret River town. The founding cluster, Vasse Felix and Cullen among them, is at Wilyabrup, north of the town; Voyager Estate is just south of it.
A tour with pickup takes the driving off your hands; the prices guide compares what each one costs.
Lunch at Vasse Felix, the Region's First Vineyard
Harvest Tours' premium day pours at Howard Park, Peacetree and Passel Estate and seats you for a three-course lunch at Vasse Felix with two glasses of wine. About nine hours, at most 10 guests, pickup within 20 km of Cowaramup, rated 5.0 from 7 reviews (October 2026), free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Dates for the Premium Day