This is your guide to some of the best sparkling wine in the Margaret River Region.
Well known as an epicentre for stand out chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, the growing depth of sparkling wine production ticks yet another box for wine travellers and wine lovers who love a little bubble in their bottle.
Though by no means an exhaustive list, these ten wineries offer a place to begin your journey.
Header image: Howard Park, photo by Ovis Creative
The Margaret River Region’s founding wine estate Vasse Felix has been producing sparkling wine since the 1980s, but the 2018 first vintage of Ideé Fixe — a dedicated label for sparkling — has taken things up a notch.
Made using the traditional method and sourcing chardonnay from its cooler climate Karridale vineyard, Ideé Fixe is a showcase for Blanc de Blancs: sparkling made using one hundred per cent chardonnay grape sparkling wines. The Premier Brut is a classic: all green apple aroma and an exuberant bead that makes this the perfect aperitif or celebration fizz. Add a little bit of pinot noir and you have the Brut Rosé: playful, balanced and just the right amount of dry to finish.
It’s only a matter of weeks until their brand new Blanc de Blancs House opens its doors, a dedicated home for the Ideé Fixe range.
Though a well-known local player, Fermoy Estate flies a little under the radar for the region’s visitors. This is why we’re placing it front and centre as an example of a Margaret River Region sparkling worth celebrating.
Pop the cork on the 2019 Vintage Brut Premier — made in the traditional method, this wine has spent over 4 years on lees. The extended contact time allows for more complex characters and textures, such as baked bread, crème fraiche and mushroom notes complementing delicate sea spray, grapefruit and frangipani.
If your spread includes a dozen freshly shucked oysters, pair them with Fermoy Estate’s 2022 Blanc de Blanc, starring beautifully bright and vibrant aromas of green apple and lemon curd alongside more complex oyster shell and white mushroom minerality. And you can’t forget the Vintage Brut Rosé, it’s a delicate blush of sparkling for those that love a little pink.
The beautiful and plump red-eared Firetail finches can be difficult to spot in their native habitat in the jarrah, marri and tuart forests. Unique to the South West, seeing one is always a cause for celebration.
While some signage will help you navigate the drive to Firetail’s cellar door, the sense of specialness at arriving is the same. A family affair, owners Rob Glass and Jessica Worrall have five hectares of estate-owned vines over the Margaret River and Geographe regions, including their award-winning 2018 Sparkling Chardonnay. The Gold Medal winner at the 2023 Wine Show of Western Australia is aged 72 months on lees.
This special drop is only available from their cellar door, and is absolutely worth the drive to Rosa Glen. Set deep in the bush, the cellar door building is handcrafted from jarrah and uses French oak barrels.
Howard Park Wines has been the largest and one of the Margaret River Region’s most experienced producers of traditional method sparkling for quite some time. The elegant cellar door is the flagship space showcasing the family-owned winery’s Margaret River Region and Great Southern focus.
Howard Park’s exquisite sparkling range, Jeté, is proudly made onsite, from tirage through riddling, disgorging and packaging. Over the years, it has won multiple gold medals and awards, including ‘Best Australian Sparkling Wine’ in a prestigious international wine competition.
Treat yourself to a focused seated sparkling wine flight to taste six wines of their acclaimed bubbles range. Then choose your favourite bottle and make for the sheltered lawn with a pick-your-own cheese and charcuterie board. Lawn games are on hand to keep the kids entertained.
From 100 per cent hand-picked sauvignon blanc grapes, husband and wife team Travis and Elizabeth Wray make a Pétillant Naturel sparkling that’s all about orange marmalade, sherbet and pineapple, and made to drink now. The pet nat style is great for those looking for a bit less of a formal fizz.
If you get hungry after wine tasting, it’s worth noting that House of Cards has an equally famed neighbour—the lauded and locally loved Chow’s Table run by talented Chinese Malay super chef, Mal Chow.
Crafted from 100% chardonnay fruit grown in the Credaro Family Estate Vineyards, the Kinship Blanc de Blanc 2023 is a popular favourite amongst the range. Made in the traditional method, the wine reveals a gentle mousse with layers of lemon tart and apples. The palate is driven by vibrant acidity and unveils a lively complexity, showcasing brioche, honey, and toasty undertones. Rich lees creaminess gives way to a clean saline finish.
For the ultimate experience, savour this sparkling wine with family and friends at Credaro’s Yallingup Cellar Door while enjoying breathtaking views over the Wildwood Valley.
If you love Clairault Streicker’s show-stopping chardonnay range, get your hands on the sparkling version: Streicker Blanc De Blanc 2022 is made in the traditional method, spending over 36 months on lees. The wine is crafted from hand-picked chardonnay from their Bridgeland Vineyard in Karridale, chosen specifically for its acidity and the innate regional fruit characters that predispose it for sparkling winemaking. Rich flavours of freshly browned brioche, nashi pear and citrus blossoms bristle atop a maelstrom of natural acidity, green plums and a delicate mousse. Fine tendrils of white fruit tannin and drive deliver a mineral finish or wet slate and mother of pearl.
Lenton Brae’s family-owned winery has been making remarkable wine in Wilyabrup since 1982, and recent renovations have made their cellar door even more cosy and welcoming. Their grounds are wheelchair, dog and family friendly, with plenty of space, lawn games and shade to keep your entire entourage happy.
Their refreshing Blanc de Blancs features hand-picked chardonnay fruit sourced from the high-altitude southern areas of Ferguson Valley and the cooler southern reaches of Margaret River. Barrel fermentation imparts a gentle toasted character, beautifully balanced by lively acidity and vibrant notes of grapefruit and lemon.
Grab a bottle or two and build your own gourmet platter for a relaxed picnic lunch with complimentary lake views.
Who said that traditional method sparkling wines only revolve around chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier? In Cape Grace’s Cremant de Grace Sparkling Chenin Blanc – you might have guessed- chenin blanc is the star of the show. Expect notes of fresh Nashi pears and golden kiwifruit with hints of shortbread biscuits showing through.
Owned and operated by the Karri-Davies family since 1875, the small but mighty winery is an integral part of the region’s winemaking history. Robert Karri-Davies is a great-grandson of M.C. Davies of Karridale, Timber Baron, builder of the Leeuwin Lighthouse and instrumental in the founding of Margaret River.
Their wines are only available from their Wilyabrup cellar door in a beautiful rustic bush setting.
Stormflower has been crafting its Silver Lining Crémant since 2014 and its Aurora Pétillant Naturel since 2020. The Silver Lining Crémant is produced in the traditional method from chenin blanc grapes, delivering a finely structured, bright and invigorating sparkling with a creamy and complex finish.
Aurora Pétillant Naturel is made using the ancestral method, one of the oldest and most natural approaches to sparkling winemaking. Each release is a seasonal blend of sauvignon blanc, semillon, chenin blanc and shiraz, resulting in a vibrant, rustic expression that changes with each vintage.
Both wines are made from certified organic fruit, and the Aurora Pétillant Naturel is produced without any preservatives or additives, giving a pure, unfiltered snapshot of the vineyard.
