Cabernet sauvignon trail

The sequel to the Margaret River Chardonnay trail, this cabernet sauvignon equivalent is the perfect way to deepen your wine discovery journey in the Margaret River Region. If chardonnay is the queen of the grapes in Margaret River, then cabernet sauvignon is her king. It is this grape variety that has single-handedly put Margaret River on the international wine map and enabled the industry to develop to where it is today.

Cabernet sauvignon (cab sav) is a grape that produces a rich wine that cellars magnificently. Part of the beauty of the Margaret River Region is its heavenly Mediterranean climate: the long summers filled with warm days are complemented by a cool sea breeze which keeps grapes in tip-top condition until harvesting. What this means for you is a subtle, refined cabernet sauvignon with a velvety tannin structure and juicy blackberry characteristics.

It’s time to get tasting! No matter how long you have in the region – be it a day, a weekend or a week, this cabernet trail is the skeleton from which your wine education in the region can build. Smash it out in order for a mammoth weekend of cab sav, or pick and choose pieces of it to cover at your leisure if you have more time. In the words of the wise: “Life is a cabernet old chum, so come to the cabernet”.

Flametree Wines

The welcoming beach house design of Flametree Wines’ cellar door will make an impression before you’ve even tasted their award-winning wines. Relax by the open fireplace with a glass of cab sav or enjoy a platter outside on the deck while you watch your youngest or furriest travel companions play on the beautiful lawn.

Credaro

The next stop is to visit one of the oldest families in the region – the Credaros, who migrated from Italy to Margaret River in 1922. Green thumbs will be in for a treat if the wisteria canopy is in bloom at the Credaro cellar door. The family planted the first of their vines to produce table wine for family and friends, but these have since increased to over 110 hectares of vineyard and produce some silky smooth cab sav to start the day’s tasting with.

Rivendell

You’ll love Rivendell’s powerful expression of the cabernet variety from the hills of Yallingup. Rivendell Estate’s 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon won a gold Trophy at the Halliday Cabernet Challenge 2023. Take the fam, enjoy their succulent twice-cooked lamb with your glass, and watch the kids burn some energy on the playground.

Aravina Estate

Your next stop is Aravina Estate. If lunchtime is approaching, add the 3-course meal option to your tasting, which complements the matched wines beautifully. Aravina proudly consider their hand-picked cabernet sauvignon the ‘Hero of their Estate’. This award-winning wine displays primary notes of perfumed blueberries, boysenberry, dried bay and subtle oak nuances. A plush and powerful fruit-driven wine, which will cellar well for 15+ years.

Clairault Streicker

Here you’ll find a spacious cellar door with a café for those who might not have stocked up enough at the brekky table. With a number of different cabernets to sample, work your way to Clairault Streicker’s big guns with the 2013 Streicker Ironstone Block Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon. This little beauty has won numerous accolades and is a luscious, dark-fruit-driven example of the region and the winemaking style.

Cherubino

It’s hard not to be captivated by Cherubino’s charm. With its terracotta stonewashed cellar door and a beautiful gated entry, this family-owned vineyard transports you to a scene straight out of the Mediterranean. Led by the award-winning grape grower and winemaker Larry Cherubino, they passionately craft Western Australian wines that beautifully reflect the land’s unique character. Take a seat on the balcony, immerse yourself in the panoramic views of the Margaret River vineyard, and indulge in a premium wine tasting and delectable antipasto board, enhancing the experience of their exceptional wines.

Moss Wood

This one’s a winery visit for true lovers of the vine. Be sure to book in advance, as it’s by appointment only and well worth planning for. Take the time to revel in all that Moss Wood has to offer on a guided tour through the winery; tasting wine from the barrel and exploring back vintages in the museum. The cherry on top is their exquisite cab sav, included in wine reviewer Matthew Jukes’s 100 Best Australian Wines 2018/19 with advice to “buy all you can”. We won’t be arguing with those instructions!

Fermoy Estate

Founded in 1985, Fermoy’s first vintage was a resounding success, establishing Wilyabrup as the ‘sweet spot’ of Margaret River. With its mild Mediterranean climate, afternoon sea breeze and ancient gravel soils, the region is ideal for growing Bordeaux and Burgundy grape varieties. In recent years, Fermoy has gained global recognition, driven by a renewed focus on sustainability, small-batch winemaking and crafting site-expressive wines. This journey reached a significant milestone with the prestigious Best in Show award at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards for Fermoy’s 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cullen Wines

The magic of matching wine with food can be explored to your heart’s content at Cullen. Taste the award-winning biodynamic wines at the cellar door before settling in for a fresh and flavoursome meal made with produce direct from the estate’s gardens. Pair a glass of their renowned Diana Madeline with lunch and savour the flavour profiles that reveal themselves during your dining experience – all while looking out over the expansive vineyards and bushland, of course. Cullen’s philosophy behind winemaking is like no other in the region, so take the chance for a stroll through their spiral garden and brush up on the principles of biodynamic viticulture.

Juniper Estate

With a chocolate-box-pretty cellar sitting on the banks of Wilyabrup Creek, a visit to Juniper Estate in springtime will have you greeted by sprawling roses throughout their cottage garden. Be sure to spend a tranquil moment on the lawn before tasting their wine. Juniper has built its reputation on cabernet sauvignon and has one of the oldest vineyards in the Margaret River region.

Howard Park

After a quick diversion into the Margaret River Chocolate Factory (their truffles make the perfect indulgent treat alongside a post-dinner glass of red), it’s back on the cabernet course down Tom Cullity Drive, destination: Howard Park. Named after the region’s founding winemaker Dr Tom Cullity, the drive takes you past some of the most iconic wineries in the region and the very first vines planted at Vasse Felix in 1967. Before hitting the end of the drive, however, turn left and you will find the tree-lined entrance to Howard Park, home to the region’s foremost architectural cellar door and much-lauded winemaker Nic Bowen. With vineyards scattered throughout South Western Australia, here is your chance to taste the differences in terroir across their wide-ranging list of wines.

Cape Grace Wines

One of Margaret River’s great little family-run wineries, don’t be fooled by Cape Grace Wines’ humble tin farm shed – they produce some stellar cabernet sauvignon. Robert and Karri-Davies will take you through a guided tasting, spilling secrets on how they produce their wine and their favourite ways to best enjoy it at home.

LS Merchants

At LS Merchant’s super cosy, rustic shed, you’ll feel right at home. Sit down by the fireplace for a laid-back tasting and find out what makes the LS wines unique. Their fruit from a single-site, dry-grown vineyard in Wilyabrup and a minimal intervention winemaking approach allow the characteristics of the site and the quality of fruit to shine. Keep an eye on their socials for pop-up food truck takeovers during winter.

Passel Estate

One could argue that Passel Estate offers one of the purest expressions of Margaret River Cabernet, as their highly awarded cab sav is single vineyard and single varietal. In celebration of their 10th vintage at Passel Estate, they are offering a back vintage reserve cabernet sauvignon from their museum stocks available to taste, one more reason to visit them on your trail.

Voyager Estate

The only thing more astounding than the beauty of Voyager Estate is the flavour in their broad range of wines. Sit down in the wine room and savour a wine flight accompanied by an iPad filled with in-depth tasting notes and knowledgeable staff on hand to answer all your cabernet questions.

Cape Mentelle

Home of the region’s annual Cabernet Tasting, as well as some of the world’s best examples of the variety, it would be a shame to miss out on a tasting at Cape Mentelle. Grab a bottle or two from the cellar door and take a five-minute drive to the winery’s namesake – the actual Cape Mentelle which looks out over the Indian Ocean. Fill your glass, and get ready to watch the sun set behind the Cape as you toast to a day of cabernet.

Amato Vino

Amato Vino delivers a different approach to the typical Margaret River cabernet style — soft, supple tannins highlight the pretty and delicate fruit flavours of the variety without the big structure. Based in the historic Witch and the Windmill building in Witchcliffe, they focus on lo-fi, minimal intervention wines where wild ferments, traditional processes, no adds, no fining and filtration are all central to the mix.

Brown Hill Estate

Step off the beaten path and into the heart of a working winery, where every bottle begins with a family’s passion, precision, and a single vineyard site planted 30 years ago.  Taste three distinct hand-picked and hand-sorted cabernet sauvignons from Brownhill Estate’s carefully crafted ranges, each offering a unique expression of site selection and oak treatment. Hosted by a family member, your tasting unfolds inside the winery itself, surrounded by the seasonal rhythms of winemaking – from fruit processing to barrel work and bottling. It’s a truly immersive experience that captures the soul of Margaret River cabernet.