Dropping in to cellar doors on Margaret River’s Small Family Wine Trail feels like dropping in on family: the side doors are always open, though you might have to give a little holler if cellar door is unattended. When you care for the wine you’re selling, there are not a lot of idle minutes left in the day to stand still.

But you won’t mind the casual approach. These wineries are as welcoming as their wines are polished.

The idea of ‘small family wineries’ no longer means boisterous table wines picked by Nonno and fermented in the shed with hanging salamis. In the Margaret River Region, this tag is synonymous with single estate wines benefitting from an almost entirely hands-on approach to a much smaller scale of production.

For the winemakers involved, this means tighter quality control and a very personalised bottle expression. For us folk at cellar door, it equates with an intimate tasting experience.

Many of these winemakers are possessed by the passion of the (initially) self-trained. Knowledge of their wines and the unique climatic conditions they grow under, combined with time at the basket press, lend them a very personal relationship with the bottles they cork.

But ‘handmade’ doesn’t mean ‘homespun’. Polish is a given, as is nuance on the palate. That these grapes often don’t leave the winery boundaries until point of cellar door sale (a few have no external distribution channels) means that the winemakers have complete control of the grape’s expression.

This pocket of the region’s wine community is as loveable as the polish of the big guns. Small family run wineries offer just one more insight into the wines for which the Margaret River Region has become known.

1. Cape Grace Wines
   Nestled along a tree-lined road, discover our ‘tin shed winery in the forest.’ Drive through the vineyard planted in 1996 by Robert and Karen Karri-Davies. In our intimate tasting area beside the winery, sample our small-batch wines available only at the cellar door. Explore the artistry of our basket-pressed red wines and indulge in the purchase of a museum wine. Immerse in a personalised wine-tasting experience, where craftsmanship and history converge.
   
   
2. Windows Estate
   We are Chris, Jo, Lucas & Violette Davies; a young family running a certified organic farm and vineyard. We have a holistic ecosystem approach, and enjoy giving visitors an insight into our lives as farmers, grape growers and wine producers. A classic vigneron, Chris is on his own in the vineyard and the winery, where he creates wines with a true sense of place. Our entire range of wines are available only at cellar door.
   
   
3. Cape Naturaliste Vineyard
   To the south of Cape Naturaliste, in a picturesque valley behind Smiths Beach, lies Cape Naturaliste Vineyard. Overlooking the valley is a 19th Century stone inn. Once the staging point for the coaches on the Perth to Margaret River route, the now renovated inn provides a delightful backdrop to the vineyard, and the old stone milking shed is now the cellar door. Our maritime location, and the valley’s rich variety of soil types are ideal for growing premium wine grapes.
   
   
4. Whicher Ridge Wines
   Neil and Cathy Howard are a vigneron and winemaking couple who specialise in handmaking small batch wines that pair well with food. Their unique wiune sensory garden is the centrepiece of their wine experiences. We specialise in handmaking small batch wines with a focus on the varietal flavours, producing textured wines that pair well with food. We also love gardening, which is one reason why our wine sensory garden has become the centrepiece of our wine experiences.
   
   
5. Brown Hill Estate
   Owned and operated by the Bailey family, Brown Hill Estate was founded in 1995. The award-winning wines are small parcel, handpicked, hand-sorted and sold direct via our charming rustic cellar door set within the boutique working winery. Enjoy the home-grown hospitality of the Bailey family and learn about our winemaking process during one of the most engaging cellar door experiences in Margaret River.
   
   
6. Glenarty Rd
   Glenarty Road is the McDonald’s fifth-generation family farm with a difference. It is home to 10 hectares of vines, a few thousand sheep, 250 fruit trees, a hop field, veggie gardens and a cellar door and restaurant that reflects a true locavore experience. The cellar door showcases their handmade, aromatic and balanced wines that reflect the local cool climate. The restaurant provides wholesome offerings with the day’s pickings in the garden determining the daily menu.
   
   
7. Walsh & Sons
   Family, vines & wines: We’re all about minimal intervention with maximum flavour. With an on-site smoke-house & butchery, we’re serving local produce alongside our artisanal products, paired with delicious wine, makes this venue a taste sensation everyone can enjoy