Howard Park was truly something special before Chief Winemaker Janice McDonald, of the range of Howard Park, MadFish, and Marchand & Burch was awarded the highly-coveted Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine’s Winemaker of the Year award for 2018. But now, this Western Australia winery nestled along the Margaret River is a must-visit for any true lover of wine.
If you have the opportunity as I did, I urge you to visit, and enjoy a sublime tasting experience in the cellar door. I was lucky enough to go behind de scene of the winery and see the brand-new amphora they will use for producing wines. For such a beautiful and refined setting, the warmth of welcoming provided by the cellar door staff adds more enhancement to the experience, making you feel like you could simply stay here forever.
When visiting the cellar door, you can easily spot the Wine Chapel, a truly unique venue; surrounded by the vineyards, designed for special occasions. Here you can discover the main tasting room where you’ll get to sample Howard Park’s most exquisite creations. The wine cellar showcases pieces from the Burch family museum, while the expansive terrace affords breathtaking views over the Leston vineyard and Wilyabrup valley. There’s also a helicopter landing pad should you truly want to arrive in style.
Touring Howard Park cellar door in Margaret River is a chance to discover how the award-winning wines here are made by visiting the vines and following the path it takes for each varietal to wind up as part of a bottle. Led by a charming guide, you get the full picture from the history of the region to that of the Burch Family as well as fascinating facts thrown in for good measure. For me, it was an absolutely unforgettable experience. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting Howard Park wines before, but to do so at the vineyard surrounded by the glorious beauty there was truly unmatched.
You can taste all the wines created by the Howard Park family including MadFish and Marchand & Burch.
I have tasted a few from the three range and had the mission to taste the different Chardonnays their produce and didn’t disappoint… What a treat!
The 2017 Miamup Chardonnay from the Regional Range. It was fresh with an intricately fruity aroma that gave hints of citrus mingling with melons and peaches. The flavour was a sensorial delight with a fine texture, a bit of oak, and a buttery-lemon brioche for a purely pleasurable experience.
The 2017 Heritage Chardonnay was a contemporarily classic offering. Brightly acidic with a long, fresh finish, this one may just have stolen my heart with its fragrant aroma and citrusy-peachy flavour with a creamy complexity. Divine!
The 2016 Marchand & Burch Villages Chardonnay was a bit drier and crisper, with more emphasis on florals melding with citrus zest. I found the flavours to be quite lovely and a fascinating contrast to the others that I tried.
Make the trek to Margaret River to visit Howard Park. I’d really love to do it all over again!
