Vasse Felix Estate in Margaret River. Photo / Vasse Felix
Spending a week in Margaret River is like spending a week in heaven. I've eaten more fabulous meals than I've said Hail Marys in my time and yet there I was, in this little outcrop sticking off the side of Western Australia, being enchanted by the cooking teachers, winemakers (especially the women), growers, fishers, bread makers and surfies.
When they say terroir in this region they mean the earth has provided them with the unique taste of their vegetables, animals, olives, cheeses and grapes. And everybody is so friendly with it. If you know Ian Parmenter and Kellie Tannock, you know everyone (more on them later). I thank Bacchus for every single person I met in Margaret River because they looked after me so well and no doubt treat everyone the same. It's also quite helpful if you hire a private driver like Jason Woodthorpe (Perth Luxury Tours). Not only does it make it very easy to get around but Jason turned out to be the Graham Norton of chauffeurs - chatty, punctual and witty.
Margaret River, three hours from Perth, is small by WA standards, yet it is the jewel in its culinary crown - 220 wineries, 100 cellar doors, numerous organic farms, sourdough galore and great surfing. Said river is quite small and not desperately impressive but how can you argue with 30km of white sandy beaches? There is actually a very beautiful spot where you can see the river meet the Indian Ocean.
The people who live here are an eclectic mix of hippies, wealthy established farmers, famous foodies, surfies, hip winemakers, wild and crazy bush tour operators, artists and they seemingly all hang out for coffee at a place visitors can't find: the Blue Ginger Cafe in Margaret River township (the secret of which I have just ruined). That's where I met up with my old friend and colleague Ian Parmenter - media guy, grape grower and presenter of the much-loved 1990s Consuming Passions cooking show. Blue Ginger also has the best food store in Margaret River - a deli bursting with everything a gourmet could possibly need. He gave me a local magazine, Tales & Trails, in which I read about Kellie Tannock of WalkTalkTaste tours. She's an absolute cracker, knows everyone, has a luxury glamp and runs a very classy operation.
She and Ian got me into the hard-to-get-into-without-a-two-week-wait Japanese restaurant Miki's Open Kitchen. This is unusual interpretive fusion cooking using local ingredients - i.e. farmhouse pork nori roll tempura with spring onion puree and listen to this one: Nannup peach, white chocolate, miso, Geraldton wax (lemony tasting WA flower). I ask you ... Chef Mikihito Nagai himself is funny and loud and regales his clients with comments from his open kitchen. I was seated next to two equally fun and interesting people who turned out to be Margaret River royalty - gorgeous Cape Mentelle winemaker Coralie Lewis and husband Mat - surfie, wine freak, promoter of WA.
I also ate at a place that, on the face of it, didn't look like my scene - very noisy, families, muddy boots, natural wines kind of vibe - but the cooking! Bungalow Neighbourhood Social in an old woodworking warehouse in the beachside town of Dunsborough has dramatically good food - sourdough pizzas (everyone's in love with sourdough in Margaret River), Peruvian spiced fried chicken, lamb ribs with coffee glaze. Olio Bello estate in Cowaramup produces the one thing guaranteed to keep you young and beautiful forever - hand-picked organic extra virgin olive oil. Don't believe me? Go to visit and ask to meet Lisa Garside who runs the beautiful 157ha property - a radiant example of an olive oil-drenched woman if I ever saw one. You can drink the stuff, eat the stuff, rub it all over yourself with their beauty products then go down to the lake and fall asleep in the stuff in one of their luxury glamps.
If they're not making drop-dead wines, they're making beer, whiskey and gin in Margaret River. One of the best is Shelter Brewing at Busselton, in a sublime seaside location looking out on to the famous mile-long jetty. They brew all the beer on-site, have great labelling and the India Pale Ale is my kind of beer - hoppy, dank and bitter. Wise Wines, in the hills of Dunsborough, not only make wine but have a restaurant and tavern and they make unique tasting gin from their chardonnay grapes and rainwater, using traditional distillation methods. Because I drink gin every day for my health, I tasted everything, of course and loved the one they call Gin Gin Gin - reeking of juniper, spice and lemon myrtle.
Margaret River wines are mostly boutique, a lot are family-owned and increasingly more are organic or bio-dynamic. The soil is maritime and gravelly with loam with obviously, very little rain. Cabernet and chardonnay are kings here and famous worldwide for their complexity and refinement. Cullen Wines in Wilyabrup is the only winery in the region producing bio-dynamic, carbon-positive grown grapes and vegetables served in their very good restaurant. Most interesting of all is the passionate and innovative Vanya Cullen - a charming, strong woman who takes the lead rather than following it. Also in Wilyabrup is another fabulous woman winemaker - Virginia Willcock of the founding Margaret River estate, Vasse Felix. Pretty, outspoken, big hair, funny, she is in love with wine and particularly loves the way chef Brendan Pratt in the winery restaurant matches his clean, austere food to the wine rather than the other way round.
Last but not least, as I was leaving I discovered yet another great woman - Anne Spencer of Arimia, an off-the-grid vineyard, winery, olive grove, organic vegetable garden and farm. Anne is a gentle, witty, sensitive woman with a great business partner in the restaurant chef, Evan Hayter, who cooks restrained, light, joyful dishes in the restaurant.
It is true what they say about heaven - it's full of Margaret River wine, food and olive oil.
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MARGARET RIVER
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For more things to see and do in Margaret River and Western Australia, see margaretriver.com and westernaustralia.com/nz
Please check the latest border restrictions in each state and territory before travelling. For more information visit australia.com
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