Diversity lies at the heart of the valley’s charm. Nestled among international players like Sandalford and Houghton (the former offers the valley’s only blend-your-own-wine tour; the latter is home to Australia’s most famous White Burgundy) are many smaller wineries, where the people who actually make the wine are often to be found serving you at cellar door.
Swan Valley Verdelho, Shiraz and Cabernet, all of which thrive in the region’s warm, dry summers, are up there with the best in the country. The valley’s reliably warm, dry climate is ideal for the extra ripening and high sugar levels required to produce luscious “stickies”.
Watch out in particular for Liqueur Verdelho and Liqueur Shiraz – both are rarely made outside the Swan Valley.
In recent years, an influx of young, innovative winemakers, along with a thoroughly modern arsenal of wine-making technology and equipment has seen the valley’s table wines develop an added finesse; a coming-of-age in terms of style and sophistication.
Many valley winemakers have chosen to avoid chain-store discounting and, instead, only sell direct to their customers. This means that over half of the wines made in the Swan Valley are available only at cellar door – a point worth remembering if you’re looking for something unique to take home.
For a comprehensive listing of wineries and the varietals, please refer to our FREE Swan Valley guide and maps which include the Food and Wine Trail available at the Swan Valley Visitor Centre.
Must See and Do
- Try some of our fortified wines – you’ll find them at wineries throughout the region.
- Visit some of Western Australia’s oldest cellar doors – these include John Kosovich, Talijancich and Waters Edge (formerly Olive Farm).
- Try Mann Winery’s Cygne Blanc – a white sparkling style made from a grape created in the valley by winemaker Dorham Mann. Enjoy a picnic in the delightful grounds of historic Houghton Wines.
- Be a winemaker for the day – book onto Sandalford Wines’ unique tour. Watch out for the growing number of restaurants offering special wine-and food-matching options.
Swan Valley Wine Carton
Send a taste of the Swan Valley home. Collect a mixture of up to twelve bottles of wine from participating Swan Valley wineries and post them to any address in Australia for just $20 inc GST (insurance at an additional cost). Just fill a carton with wine from any participating winery, lodge it at the last participating winery and they will do the rest! Here is a list of participating wineries:
The Swan Valley is open 7 days a week for you to enojy, however some of the Swan Valley business are not open every day. Click Here to find out What's Open Today.
