Wine Worship: Howard Park’s Wine Chapel

Bookings are required for the Wine Chapel experience, with availability daily for small to medium groups of guests. Cellar door manager Charlotte Dowden says that while they welcome groups of two to 22, “The sweet spot is around eight.”

With a choice of two tasting tutorial offerings, tailored service and a gourmet regional charcuterie and cheese platter included, the two-hour session is suitable for high-end corporate gatherings, private celebrations, girls’ days out or couples on a group adventure.

The first thing that strikes you on walking into the main tasting room is the painterly vista of the sprawling Leston vineyard, enabled by floor to ceiling glass and echoed in intricate 45-year-old vines, some of Howard Park’s very first, repurposed as delicate chandeliers.

Family matriarch Amy Burch is of Singaporean Chinese descent, and her influence over the calming Feng Shui minded design of the entire cellar door is disarmingly strong. The sense of tranquillity and belonging in the space, with its ties to the beautifully cared for gardens and surrounding marri and jarrah forest makes being there a joy in and of itself.

For lovers of bubbles, the Art of Sparkling option will carry participants through Great Southern and French vineyards, enjoying Champagne and Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wine from the Howard Park, Marchand & Burch and Franck Bonville ranges.

With many award-winning labels among them, this is the perfect warm weather day out. Once you’ve topped up on your preferred fizz, you can enjoy it on the lawn with a spot of sunshine to see the afternoon through.

For chardonnay enthusiasts and red lovers, or any winter warriors, the Margaret River and Great Southern private wine tasting might be more for you. A wide range of varietals awaits you, with the intimate and cosy lounge and its picture window the perfect place to relax once the formalities are done. If you’re lucky, resident black Labrador Rosie might pop her head in for a pat.

Both sessions run for approximately two hours and guests are welcome to stay on beyond the tasting to soak up the atmosphere. Expect premium service, a celebration of local produce, and of course the beautiful, handcrafted wine of three decades’ experience. At $120.00 per person, this is an affordable luxury and a simply lovely way to spend the day.

Don’t have two hours? Pop in for those over counter chats or book a seated tasting flight on the main cellar door floor. The self-serve fridge is stocked with local charcuterie to purchase on the fly and you’re welcome to pick up a box of artisan crackers and a chunk of local cheese and sit on a picnic blanket on the lawn.

Say hi to Rosie for me.