Those extra bonus buys make your visit even better!
Oakover Grounds
Not only do they offer wine for tastings and purchase, Oakover is home to many more goodies I feel I simply must share. Did you know they have a ‘Marketplace’ which offers delicious gourmet products and the best quality household grocery items?! Think cured meats, chocolate, pasta, sauces, Maggie Beer products, and the list goes on.
For all of those cheese lovers out there, they now have a HUGE variety to purchase in their self-serve fridges. Make sure you pop in on a Sunday whilst Jo, the expert from Blue Cow Cheese, offers tastings and her advice on the perfect platter combos!
They also have Fiori Coffee beans for sale which they use in their Café and for takeaway coffee purchases.
Oakover offers a selection of products from Australian Artist Sue Janson, as well as gift hampers that can be customised for your loved ones. Not to mention the obvious – delicious food from their Café, and in the warmer months from their Smokehouse on The Grounds.
Windy Creek Estate
What’s better than dolloping homemade relish on anything cheesy, or delightful seasonal jams on your morning toast? When you visit Windy Creek Estate (and we are telling you it’s a must!), you’ll get to experience the extensive range of heaven in a jar by ‘Wicked Stepmother’s’ – who is in fact the Stepmother of the beloved Ruth, owner of Windy Creek!
Whilst tasting wine at this boutique family-run cellar door, you’ll also have the opportunity to sample these beautiful preserves. Relishes include your classics such as ‘tomato’ and ‘beetroot’, along with a mean ‘cauliflower pickle’. Some of their marmalades include ‘orange whisky’, ‘three fruits’ and ‘lime & ginger’. And you can expect the BEST fruit is being used for their homemade jams too! I’m talking juicy strawberries, figs, plums and my fav combo, ‘apple, pear & ginger’.
Some of the Jams actually include Windy Creek’s famous fortified range. The ‘plum & port’ includes their Old Tawny, the ‘liqueur strawberry’ includes their Liqueur Shiraz and the ‘fig & muscat’ includes… well their Muscat of course. So, do yourself a favour and get those cheese and crackers ready for some ‘wicked’ tasting condiments next time you visit.
Fig Tree Estate
Family owned and operated and adopting traditional handcrafted winemaking techniques, this special boutique vineyard is bursting with character and warmth. Not only do they showcase a beautiful variety of wine, they also produce a mouth quenching natural apple cider and the new kid on the block – beer!! What can’t these guys do!?
Jacquie’s homemade marinated olives feature on their cheese boards and platters and lucky for you, those olives are available to take-away.
Fig Tree Estate also supports other local businesses such as Morish Nuts, with bags of their gourmet nibbles available for purchase. You’ll often find Lloyd at the cellar door talking passionately about what he does, whilst their resident dogs Ruby and Marley greet you as you roll in. It really is a family affair you must experience!
Pandemonium Estate
You’ll find yourself wanting to spend all afternoon here, tasting wine and enjoying their delicious wood fired pizzas. But did you know their vineyard and cellar door is also home to a Gintoneria Bar too? Cue Swan Valley Gin Company and their Spanish inspired gins they call Diablo.
SVGC have a flagship range and a small batch range consisting of a ‘Spice Cumquat Gin’, a ‘Strawberry Dry Gin’ and a ‘Mediterranean Dry Gin’ just to name a few. All of their gins and limited release spirits use Pandemonium Estate wines as the base along with the finest fruits and botanicals. Hello G&Ts, Gin Flights and Gin & Cheese Masterclasses!
These are just a few of the many wineries in the Swan Valley that offer more than just their delicious vino. As you can see, both larger wineries and smaller boutique gems can offer not only the wine they work so hard to produce, but also gourmet goodies to indulge in, unique gifts for a loved one and even a new fav beverage like gin!
Besides wine (of course!), my all-time favourite ‘extra bonus’ I take away from any winery is the knowledge the cellar door staff, or those clever winemakers, impart whilst pouring their creations. For me, it’s the cherry on top!
If you’d like to visit any of these wineries mentioned, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to incorporate them in a customised Private Swan Valley Tour for you soon!
