Margaret River Wineries: Windance Estate

So the other day, I was in our ‘wine room’ aka the spare bedroom and I was super excited to find we still had some vino from Windance Estate left. We’d visited the cellar door last October and I must have hidden this wee bottle away. And then… just as I was about to unscrew the cap I realised the bottle belongs to my Dad who has left it here in ‘storage’. Bugger! If you’re reading this Dad, you better hurry back to Perth soon because it’s begging to be cracked! As you can guess, it’s safe to say we really enjoyed our first visit to Windance in Margs..

After hearing from Jayde over at Toward Music how ‘I must try the wines from Windance’ for so long, I was glad to finally make it to the cellar door in Margaret River to try through their range and meet the family behind the whimsical-sounding wine label (Windance was apparently the only name all the family could agree on!). We decided to stop by on our way back to Perth up Caves Road and it’s safe to say both Dad and I walked out of the cellar door with rosy cheeks – you won’t go thirsty on a visit to Windance!

The cellar door experience

The lovely Billie was manning the cellar door on this particular Sunday when we visited. She happily walked us through the wines and told us the story behind Windance. Wine tasting is free at the cellar door and there’s definitely a wide range of wines and wine styles to taste (there were at least a dozen on taste when we visited) – something for even the most fickle palates! Bottle prices range from $18-40.

Currently Windance are working on what looks to be an amazing new cellar door which will open later this year (pictured below) – even in the construction stages it looks like it is going to be spectacular and have a beautiful view of the vineyard. I must admit I did enjoy the lovely cosy cellar door they currently operate out of (pictured above) beside the large peppermint tree – however it’s safe to say a larger cellar door area will definitely help the team cater for more people.

The family behind the wines

Bille and her hubby, Michael (who also have a gorgeous wee boy) run the winery and vineyard alongside Bille’s parents Drew and Rosemary Brent-White. The vineyard was established in 1998 and 2001 was the first vintage crafted by Drew and Rosemary. Since the early years Windance have been racking up award after award at various wine shows and if you ask me, they’re definitely a winery to watch.

Son-in-law Michael ‘Tyke’ is currently the winemaker at Windance. He has previously worked as an assistant winemaker for various wineries such as Picardy, Happs and Three Hills in the Margaret River alongside working in France at Domaine Buisson in the Burgundy region.

So what did we taste and like? Well as you guys know, I don’t really write tasting notes whilst at the cellar door as I’m too busy being Chatty Cathy and I’d always rather take a couple of bottles home to enjoy and give each wine the time and attention they deserve for a tasting note. So this is what we went for…

Tasting notes:

Windance 2014 Reserve Chardonnay:

We picked this up at the Windance cellar door in Margaret River and what a treasured find it was! Windance is a family owned and operated winery who have a large selection of vinos to try. They’re also in the process of building a new cellar door to open next year, it looks stunning! The 2014 Reserve Chardonnay was a favourite of ours from the creamy yellow colour to the buttery but juicy scents of pawpaw, melon, nuts and vanilla spiked lemons rising from the glass. The palate is smooth and silky with a refreshing fruit driven finish. It really ‘hugs’ your taste buds and it definitely needs to come in a bottomless bottle! All opinions are based on my own taste buds .

Windance 2014 Chenin Blanc:

I loved my first visit to @windance_estate in the Margaret River recently. We were taken through the large range of wines by Billie and I couldn’t help but pick up a bottle of the Chenin as I thought it would be a great spicy dish accompaniment. And I was right, it was a match made in heaven with my homemade wonton noodle soup doused with super hot fresh chillies. In the glass this Chenin Blanc is a straw colour with aromas of peaches, apple blossom and a hint of fresh mint. It has an off dry palate with juicy pear and pineapple flavours. The chilli brought out the sweetness in the wine making it a nice extinguisher to the heat. RRP $18

The Chenin and Chardy were definitely my picks from our visit – however if the budget allowed I no doubt would have taken a few more bottles. The 2012 Cabernet Merlot was pretty drool-worthy!

I can’t wait to visit Windance again to check out the new cellar door later this year! If you’re in the area, definitely put some time aside to visit Windance, your taste buds won’t regret it.

Visiting Windance Estate:

Address: 2764 Caves Rd, Yallingup WA 6282
Phone: (08) 9755 2293
Email: [email protected]
Opening times: 7 days a week from 10am-5pm
Wines: Chardonnay (oaked and unoaked), Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Sweet Rose, Sweet Red, Merlot, Cabernet Merlot, Cabernet Shiraz, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon
Wine tasting cost: Free!
Food available: No
Website: windance.com.au and follow Windance on Facebook