13/09/2026
Across Margaret River and Geographe, what makes a memorable day of w**e touring is different for every guest.
An interesting article published this week by international w**e publication and reference platform W**e-Searcher examines changing visitor behaviour in Napa Valley. It caught my attention because, despite the considerable differences between the regions, it raises a question equally relevant here: how do people actually want to spend their day amongst w**eries?
The Napa market has its own particular circumstances, including higher tasting fees and the growth of longer, more structured w**e experiences. The article also explores something more fundamental - whether the experience being offered actually matches what the visitor has come to a w**ery to enjoy.
From my experience touring Margaret River and Geographe, the answer varies greatly.
Some guests enjoy visiting four or five w**eries, tasting across different producers and comparing grape varieties, w**e styles and w**emaking approaches throughout the day. Others prefer fewer, longer visits. Some particularly enjoy an immersive tasting or a long restaurant lunch; others would much rather enjoy tastings alongside a relaxed cheese or charcuterie-style lunch overlooking the vines.
W**e knowledge also varies considerably. Some guests arrive with very specific interests - perhaps a preference for Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, particular producers, vintages or styles of w**emaking. Others simply want to discover good w**e, meet interesting people and enjoy the region without feeling that they need an extensive knowledge of w**e to do so.
That is where the choice of venue becomes particularly important.
Two w**eries producing excellent w**e can offer quite different experiences at cellar door. The w**es matter, of course, but so too does the setting, the style and length of the tasting, the person hosting it, the opportunity for conversation and how that particular visit complements what has come before - and what is planned afterwards.
The sequence matters as well. A succession of similar structured tastings creates a very different day from one that moves between contrasting producers, tasting formats, settings and food experiences. Equally, an excellent lunch should be given the time it deserves rather than treated simply as the interval between two w**ery appointments.
None of these approaches is inherently better.
What matters is matching the w**eries, hosts, tasting styles, food and pace of the day to the people travelling.
It is why understanding my guests' w**e and dining preferences is fundamental to the way I approach an itinerary. I consider not only the quality and style of the w**es, but the cellar door experience, the people hosting my guests, the relationship between each venue and, importantly, how the entire day will work as a whole.
Fundamental to that approach is a simple principle: the best w**e experience is not necessarily the longest, shortest, most expensive or most elaborate. It is the one that is right for the person experiencing it.
For me, that is the answer to the question raised in the Napa article. How people want to spend their day amongst w**eries will always differ. What matters is creating a day that is right for them.
Featured Photos: Wills Domain W**ery | bakkheia W**es | Cullen W**es | Fraser Gallop Estate | Pierro W**es
**e **eregion **eTouring
