Whicher Ridge Wines

Star 5.0 (19 Google reviews)

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Whicher Ridge Wines

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Wednesday to Sunday 12pm to 5pm
Just a short drive south of Busselton, at Chapman Hill. The easiest route is taking Chapman Hill Road off the Busselton Bypass. Google Maps knows where they are!
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Located off the beaten track in a quiet rural setting, the wine tasting experience at Whicher Ridge Wines is truly unique - a small family owned winery, specialising in making sustainably grown and made, small batch wines. What makes them different, is their Wine Sensory Garden where you will discover how to describe the flavours that you are tasting in a wine as well as learning how simple it is to pair food with wine. Every tasting is hosted by the winemaker, providing visitors with the rare opportunity to talk directly with the person who has made the wines.
Being off the beaten wine tourist track definitely has its advantages for visitors as there will be no 45 seater buses in the carpark when you arrive. Instead, you will be greeted by the friendly wine dog, Polly, and receive a personalised wine tasting experience with the winemaker, Cathy. If you want to learn more about wine, and how it’s grown and made, then a visit to Whicher Ridge is a must!

The Whicher Ridge winery is small. It is family owned and operated by a dynamic team of two, Neil and Cathy Howard. The vigneron and winemaker couple have a combined 50 years of experience between them. They take a ‘hands-on’ approach to the growing of their grapes and the making of their wines and have a ‘tread lightly on the earth’ philosophy with their sustainable farming practices.

Whicher Ridge specialises in making small-batch, single-vineyard wines made from vines growing in the ancient soils of three of Australia’s most isolated wine regions, Margaret River, Geographe and the Great Southern.

Each of the wines are full of varietal and terroir specific flavours and made in styles that celebrate their provenance and pair well with food.

The Wine Sensory Garden is a truly unique wine experience being the only one of its kind in Australia. The Garden is designed in a figure eight, infinity shape with sections themed for seven different wine varieties. For each wine, there is a ‘Descriptor Bed’ planted with fruit trees, flowers and herbs which describe the aromas and flavours in that wine. The adjacent ‘Affinity Bed’ has plantings of fruit trees, seasonal vegetables and herbs which have an affinity for, or pair with, that particular wine.

All of the wine experiences are with Cathy, the winemaker.  Visitors can have a traditional wine tasting in the cellar door, or book into one of the Pick and Sip Experience options for a guided tasting in the Garden. For gardeners, there is an added bonus of an in-depth guided tour of the Wine Sensory Garden with Cathy. 

For a food + wine experience, visitors are most welcome to bring their own picnic or add on a gourmet platter when booking an experience on-line which is made by Hippo Lakes. Hippo Lakes is just down the road. 

Dogs are very welcome to visit too as long as they are kept on a lead as Whicher Ridge is a working farm.

Amenities

Experiences

Tasting with the Winemaker

What's Included: Tasting notes, Tasting of 5 wines
Duration: 30 to 45 minutes
What else:
Pre-booking is not essential but recommended, especially the weekend, as the Cellar Door is relatively small in size. If you book on-line, you can add on a gourmet platter to enjoy after your tasting.

When you arrive at Whicher Ridge and park your car, you will be greeted first by Polly the Wine Dog, Whicher Ridge's resident black kelpie who loves visitors! 

Get to know and enjoy the Whicher Ridge wines through this traditional seated wine tasting, guided by Cathy the winemaker. Perch up at the bar, relax in a sofa, or share a table for a guided tasting of 5 wines of your choice from the Odyssey Garden and Single Vineyard wine ranges.
 
It’s the perfect way to discover the passion and the story behind how Cathy and Neil grow their grapes and make their wines. This tasting gives you some secret insights into their small batch winemaking.

Pick and Sip

What's Included: Dried herb collection, Tasting notes, Tasting with the winemaker, Guided garden tour & wine tasting
Duration: 1.5 hours
What else:
Th Pick + Sip experience is offered once a day, at 10.30 am, 5 days a week . A hat is a must to bring in the warmer weather!

An in-depth wine experience with the winemaker learning about wine flavours, winemaking and pairing wine with food. 

The Wine Sensory Garden is the centrepiece of this wine tasting experience, with it’s plantings of fruit trees, herbs, flowers and seasonal vegetables which describe and match the flavours, textures and styles of Whicher Ridge's wines.  The guided tasting in the Garden is with Cathy, the winemaker and gardener.

The Garden will immerse all of your five senses in the experience and you will discover along the way, by picking herbs and sipping wine, how to describe the flavours that you are tasting in a wine, as well as learning how simple it is to pair food with wine. 

The Pick + Sip experience includes tasting and learning about the single vineyard, varietal wines made at Whicher Ridge. The tour and tasting winds its way through 4 varietal wine sections, giving ample time for visitors to take in the sights, smells and tastes in each section, before progressing to the next one. 

At the end of the Pick + Sip experience you will receive a set of tasting notes and a varietal wine themed dried herb collection to take home.

Pick, Sip and Savour

What's Included: Dried herb collection, Tasting notes, Tasting of 4 wines, Pick + Sip Experience, Gourmet platter for 2, Wines by the Glass
Duration: 2 hours
What else:
This experience is ideal for two people and is offered once a day at 10.30am, 5 days a week. You must pre-book at least 2 days ahead of your visit so that your platter can be pre-ordered.

The perfect combination and great value for 2 people! The experience combines a Pick and Sip Tour, a gourmet platter from local cafe Hippo Lakes, and up to 3 glasses of wine for each person.


It starts with a Pick + Sip Tour through the wine sensory garden with Cathy, the winemaker, learning about wine flavours, winemaking and pairing wine with food.  The Wine Sensory Garden is the centrepiece of the wine tasting experience, with it’s plantings of fruit trees, herbs, flowers and seasonal vegetables which describe and match the flavours, textures and styles of our wines. The Garden will immerse all of your five senses in the experience and you will discover along the way how to describe the flavours that you are tasting in a wine as well as learn how simple it is to pair food with wine. 

At the end of the Pick + Sip experience you can the relax in a quiet spot in the wine sensory garden, and enjoy the delicious platter prepared by Hippo Lakes, with accompanying glasses of Whicher Ridge Wines.

Wander in the Garden

What's Included: coffee + tea, guided tour of the garden
Duration: 0.5 Hours
What else:
The Sip + Stroll Experience is offered once a day, at 10.00 am, 5 days a week . Bring a hat if the weather is warm and sunny

With a cup of tea or coffee in hand, join Cathy the gardener and winemaker for a guided wander through the wine sensory garden.


Learn how the idea for the garden came about, and how it has translated into becoming the centrepiece for the award-winning tasting experience.  The Wine Sensory Garden is truly unique, being the only one of its kind in Australia! It is the centrepiece of our wine tasting experience, with its plantings of fruit trees, herbs, flowers and seasonal vegetables which describe and match the flavours, textures and styles of the Whicher Ridge wines. 

The Garden is designed to encourage wandering, and the plantings have been chosen to immerse all of your five senses in the combined wine education and food and wine pairing experience. 

You will be guaranteed to pick up planting ideas and gardening tips during the wander!

Reviews

Star 5.0 (19 Google reviews)
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Suzanne Harrison 22 November 2023

Following a wonderful “Pick and Sip”morning sampling the wines at Whicher Ridge with vigneron and owner Cathy Howard, on a very informative and educational tour of her beautiful sensory garden, we have just enjoyed a glass of her delicious Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 all the more ! Highly recommended.

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Mick Wco 13 August 2023

It's a lovely cellar door on the farm, next to their wine making facility. Great discussion of the farm and wines. It's an authentic experience with a great view of the vineyard. The wines were quality, and we ended up leaving with a dozen!

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Martin Brown 12 May 2024

A wonderful experience. Left us motivated to do something with our own garden.

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melissa Laurie 03 October 2021

Sensation winery. If you are looking for wines that have texture, flavour intensity, length and balance then this is your place. Cathy & Neil are exceptional at producing high-quality wines. I find their wines to be full of varietal and terroir specific flavours. The wines also pair well with food, I especially like the Cab Sauvignon. I would highly recommend!