Fine Vines Festival: Tastier than ever

Taste your way through Busselton Town Centre, sampling epic vino crafted by much-loved boutique producers from the Margaret River Region. The Busselton Wine Hop is a self-guided, multi-stop perambulation, which takes you to Busselton’s best ever venues, including Shelter Brewing Co, Rocky Ridge, The Fire Station, ArtGeo Cultural Complex and new kids on the block, The Banksia Tavern.

Each venue will host several winemakers, ready to serenade you with their knowledge and passion for wine, while you taste the good stuff and wonder how Saturdays got to be so damn delightful. When your ‘choose your own adventure’ is over, keep the good times going at the Wine Hop After Party, which kicks off at Shelter Brewing Co. from 4pm.

Get down to Bungalow Neighbourhood Social for a petit party loaded with pét nat goodness. This low key, high fizz celebration is for anyone with a penchant for pétillant naturel wines. You’ll get to enjoy six tastings, guided by a local wine hero with expert knowledge in the processes and secrets that make a stellar pét nat.

The Petit Pét Nat Party³ is for lovers of pét nat wines, and anyone curious to know more about the wonders of pét nat production. Tastings are accompanied by delectable canapes prepared by the infamous Bungalow kitchen. But be sure to book in quick – this little party has been curated for only 30 special guests.

Every year the Margaret River Wine Show awards gold medals to the best wine makers in the region. Over one day only, you can taste 40 of these highly coveted wines, during a Liquid Gold afternoon hosted by Edward’s Wines in their beautifully refurbished Cowaramup cellar door. You’ll get to meet the gold-medal producers, sample their wines and discover more about their incredible wine-making stories. Wine writer and critic, Angus Hughson will host this special event, offering up notes from the 2023 wine show, as well as insider knowledge on the awards.

Upsize to a Masterclass
Guests can also book into a special Wine of Provenance Masterclass, which explores award-winning wines of provenance from the Margaret River Region. You’ll be guided through a tasting of six wines of provenance, by your very own wine-making expert

Step into the Juniper Estate barrel room for Mozzarella in the Cellar, a wine tasting master class and mozzarella-making demo worth switching to aeroplane mode for. You’ll discover a new release sparkling, plus four incredible Juniper Estate wines, with expert tasting notes from the winemakers themselves.

Along the way, the legends at La Delizia Latticini will handcraft beautiful cheeses before your eyes, which pair perfectly with your vino. Plus, delectable woodfired pizzas, laden with fresh, local produce, made by the Juniper Estate chefs. Lucky guests will leave the cellar with a bottle of Juniper Estate wine and gourmand La Delizia cheese.

Vineyards without cellar doors are top-secret places mere mortals rarely get to access. But over one weekend only, a handful of coveted winemakers in the Margaret River Region have agreed to open their gates as part of the Fine Vines, Open Vineyards series. The event is free, bar the bottles of wine you may need to invest in for your future happiness.

You’ll get to meet the genius winemakers behind some of the region’s cult drops, and learn more about their wine-making process. And of course, taste and enjoy their creations, right where the magic happens. A full list of open vineyards will be available closer to the date. But be sure to mark the 28 to 29 October in your diary.

Celebrate incredible women in wine, with an afternoon of tastings and high tea-inspired snacks at the Witch and the Windmill in Witchcliffe. You’ll get to know artisanal winemakers from the iconic Witchliffe region, including Cath Oates from Arlewood Estate, Mij Patterson and Liv Maiorana from South by South West and Sharon and Alex Peters from Amato Vino.

Kick back on the terrace and discover more about how their amazing small-batch wines are created, while tasting the drops that have garnered each maker their own cult following. Women in Wine in Witchy is an intimate afternoon for anyone who wants to connect with women doing awesome things in wine. Don’t miss it.

Check out the full Fine Vines Festival line up here.